Iver, an ancient enemy, has opened a new portal into Petla to infiltrate, take slaves, and ravage the land. A sentinel stone in a quiet mountain dell has long promised the help of a powerful king from the line of Anders when the portals were breached. But the stone has vanished, and hope has dimmed. Rory Anderson, an epic-nerd on an ordinary science field trip, is pulled through a portal into Zed and his perception of reality begins to shift. The King of the Fountain of Life commissions him as an ambassador to Petla, and when he arrives he finds himself wearing the insignia of the royal house...