When the Tyrant seizes power in the city of Lirith, capital of Kyrannon, his ambition for conquest and his need for the great horses of Fallowden create a vortex of conflict and powers. Into this the Raithes of Fallowden — Tisha the Wise and her daughter Cara, Lengalyon the hermit of the heights, and even the infant Ashraf, son of Shanah ni Raithe do Raithe — are drawn. Five Raithes survive the battle with the Tyrant's troopers. Each flees in a different direction and performs a different vital task. These combine to weave a complex pattern aimed at bringing down the Tyrant and freeing the people of Kyrannon. In the end, even Those Who Wait, the spirits of the Raithes who have died in defending their home, play their part in this intricate web.

"Mayhar's first published book shows all the hallmarks of her later work: believable characters, the grand themes of life and death, and the backdrop of a strange new world that actually seems to live and breathe before our eyes. A great read!" — Robert Reginald