A fabulous trilogy ends ... and there can only be one victor. Areava's husband died fighting for Grenda Lear and she has lost her baby in childbirth. It seems that grief will overshadow her life, especially as her favourite brother, Olio, has now gone missing. But if she wants to remain Queen of Grenda Lear then she must take action or civil war will overrun them all. Lynan, her brother and holder of the Key of Union, is on the march with an army of Chetts headed by Korigan, their Queen; the rebel army increasingly wins more battles than it loses and inexorably makes its way south towards the capital of Kendra. Ultimately, the capital itself is under seige, and all the supernatural powers and political forces at the disposal of Lynan and Areava are unleashed. there can only be one ruler of Grenda Lear . -. -. who will win, and at what cost?