Born without magic, Joram was one of the Dead, denied the throne of Merilon. For years, he livedamong outlaws, surviving by wit andsleight-of-hand. Now, wielding the powerful, magic absorbingDarksword, Joram retums to the enchanted Kingdom thatonce was his home to win revenge and claim hisbirthright. Here he will test Bishop Vanya and hisfierce army of Duuk-tsarith in a battle unlike anytheir world has known. Joined by the scholarly catalyst Saryon, the young mage Mosiah, and thetrickster Simkin, Jorma confronts the shatteringsecret of his past and discovers the ancient prophecythat puts the fate of the world in his hands--the hands that forged the Darksword.