Sparhawk, the Pandion Knight and Queen's Champion, returns from a long
spell of exile to find his native land overrun with evil and intrigue,
and his young queen grievously ill. Indeed, Ehlana lies magically
entombed within a block of crystal, doomed to die unless a cure can be
found within a year.
But as Sparhawk and his allies--who include Sephrenia, the ageless
sorceress, and Flute, the strange and powerful girl-child--seek to save
Ehlana and the land, they discover that the evil is even greater and
more pervasive than they had feared.