Europe, 454 CE. King Ardaric of the Gepids is leading a force of Germanic troops to stop the Huns, led by Ellac, son of the now-deceased notorious Attila, once and for all. As Irmyl (mentored by Lorewyn) aids her people in the fight against Ellac, all eyes seem to be looking west toward Pannonia as the storm clouds gather and war is imminent.

But to the east, in the Carpathian Mountains, another opponent has arisen, one far more dark, sinister, and potentially more dangerous than even the Hunnic hordes at the height of their power. With Lorewyn's attention focused on guiding Irmyl and her allies to victory, Rhianyn finds herself caught up in a deadly conflict, a palpable power-play, and working behind the scenes along with a somewhat unorthodox Christian priest from Dacia to prevent a mysterious menace from taking hold, one that could threaten the future of not only Europe on the brink of entering the medieval era but humanity as a whole.

A continuation of The Archer's Understudy (book five in the series, and part one of the final story arc trilogy), this novel (part two) focuses on Rhianyn's adventures in Transylvania while her beloved Lorewyn is contending with matters of war further west. It will no doubt take more than diplomacy for our heroines to emerge from this dual-fronted bit of epic historical fantasy confrontation in one piece! The story arc concludes with part three, Carried Swiftly on Her Breath.