With those words, the spirit of Magnus Hauk, Dominus of Terah, departs his body—leaving the fate of his nation to his wife, the half faerie Lara.

While Lara's son Prince Taj is well loved by the people of Terah, he is too young to rule, so Lara must obey Magnus's dying command and govern in his stead. Yet some in Terah still believe that a female must never wear the crown…and Lara and her children will face old enemies who are not finished with their schemes for revenge. But one hope remains—Lara has a powerful ally in Prince Kaliq of the Shadows, though never was there a more seductive friend or foe….