Talera is a world where danger and adventure walk hand in hand, where survival must be earned each day at the point of a sword. It is the world Ruenn Maclang calls home, though he was born on far distant Earth. Ruenn came to Talera with only his courage and his wits, but he found a woman named Rannon to love and a cause worth fighting for. Now, he and Rannon stand together as King and Queen of the Empire of Nyshphal. Nyshphal is exhausted from a lengthy war against dread sorcery, but there's no time to rest. New attacks come from an unexpected direction, and once more Ruenn must pit his blade and his life against those who would destroy the ones he loves. A perilous journey takes him to a river of death and darkest chaos. At river's end waits the greatest challenge he's ever faced.