Seventeen years ago, a long and bloody rebellion wracked the six united regions of the Kingdom. Now the new King wields the vast and unvanquished army of Midlan with his right hand, and with his left has granted a small group of thugs -- the nobles he calls his Sovereign Five -- unbridled rule over the other regions. As if this weren't bad enough, the King has also outlawed the practice of whispering -- which is a problem for Kael.

It's not like he asked to be born a whisperer: he didn't ask for his strange healing powers anymore than he asked to be the village runt. And when he...

Winter has finally broken its hold over the Kingdom -- but as the snows melt, trouble springs up in its place. A dark cloud hangs over Midlan: the army has retreated behind its high walls, not a word slips out from between its gates. And rumors swirl that the King has gone mad.

Kael knows nothing of this: his sights are on the plains. But with his horrible luck following him wherever he goes, it doesn't take long for his plan to unravel. He finds himself trapped in Gilderick's clutches and forced to work as a slave, laboring alongside the giants -- who don't exactly welcome...