The stunning conclusion to the Quickening trilogy, following MYRREN'S GIFT and BRIDGE OF SOULS. Trapped by magic, unmasked by love ... it is time to uncover the truth behind Myrren's Gift. Struggling against time and repulsed by his latest guise, everything Wyl Thirsk has strived to prevent is happening - including the marriage of his beloved Queen Valentyna of Briavel to the reviled King Celimus. The final curse of the Quickening demands that Wyl becomes the sovereign of Morgravia. But the chaos created by the Gift turns Wyl's life into an endless struggle and it is not certain that he can survive - or even that he wants to. To save Valentyna he would give everything he has - including his life.