Children of the Seasons rule the city-state of Ohndarien, a bastion of freedom and justice in a brutal world. But their brightest star, Brophy, the Heir of Autumn, has been falsely accused of murder, and the utopia falls to treachery and deceit. Exiled to an enemy kingdom, Brophy's only hope for survival lies in the deadly gladiatorial game of Nine Squares—and in the uncertain favors of a beautiful queen. And Ohndarien's struggle for peace and liberty falls under deeper shadow when evil powers, lost for centuries, wake in the wilderness, and an ancient terror walks the world again.