After her adventures with the League of the Healing Hand, Finn the Cat finds her life at Castle Rurach boring. Snowbound for the winter and faced with the prospect of being molded into "Lady Fionnghal" by her mother, she pines to be on the battlefront with her father against the sea demons.

But Finn's talents are needed elsewhere. Summoned by the Righ, Lachlan the Winged, she must embark on a perilous journey into the Forbidden Land. Imprisoned in the Black Tower is a rebellious prophet whose beliefs have made him an enemy among his own people.

Now Finn must help rescue the one...

In the land of Eileanan, the Pact of Peace has not meant the end of unrest. Isault and Lachlan must continue to deal with their military position in Tirsoilleir--where a spy has compromised their tactical secrets, leaving them at a tremendous loss.

Isabeau the witch longs to rejoin her sister and her home in these uncertain times, but she must first complete one last task for her teachers. To find her true purpose in life, she must reach the Skull of the World and listen to the silent words of the White Gods. Few survive. But those who do are changed forever.

Now, when she does return...

In Eileanan, victory has finally been won, and those of faery kind--from the mighty dragons to the mysterious nyx--have sworn their friendship and aid. Only the sea-dwelling Fairgean have refused to sign the Pact of Peace. Driven by ancient hatreds, they have devoted themselves to destroying all who dwell upon the land.

Troubled by the darkness that may lie ahead, Lachlan agrees to release his beloved Iseult from the sacred oath that binds them together. It will then be for Iseult to decide whether she will remain in the mountains to resume life with her own kin, or return to the man who...