The first volume in legendary master and New York Times bestselling
author Raymond E. Feist's epic heroic fantasy series, The Firemane
Saga--an electrifying tale of two young men whose choices will determine
a world's destiny.
For centuries, the five greatest kingdoms of North and South Tembria,
twin continents on the world of Garn, have coexisted in peace. But the
balance of power is destroyed when four of the kingdoms violate an
ancient covenant and betray the fifth: Ithrace, the Kingdom of Flames,
ruled by Steveren Langene, known as "the Firemane" for his brilliant red
hair. As war engulfs the world, Ithrace is destroyed and the Greater
Realms of Tembria are thrust into a dangerous struggle for supremacy.
As a Free Lord, Baron Daylon Dumarch owes allegiance to no king. When an
abandoned infant is found hidden in Daylon's pavilion, he realizes that
the child must be the missing heir of the slain Steveren. The boy is
valuable--and vulnerable. A cunning and patient man, Daylon decides to
keep the baby's existence secret, and sends him to be raised on the
Island of Coaltachin, home of the so-called Kingdom of Night, where the
powerful and lethal Nocusara, the "Hidden Warriors," legendary assassins
and spies, are trained.
Years later, another orphan of mysterious provenance, a young man named
Declan, earns his Masters rank as a weapons smith. Blessed with
intelligence and skill, he unlocks the secret to forging King's Steel,
the apex of a weapon maker's trade known by very few. Yet this precious
knowledge is also deadly, and Declan is forced to leave his home to
safeguard his life. Landing in Lord Daylon's provinces, he hopes to
start anew.
Soon, the two young men--an unknowing rightful heir to a throne and a
brilliantly talented young swordsmith--will discover that their fates,
and that of Garn, are entwined. The legendary, long-ago War of Betrayal
has never truly ended . . . and they must discover the secret of who
truly threatens their world.