Raz i'Syul Arro is a hunted man. To the south, the Mahsaden of Miropa
are gone. The sef lay dead, slain at Raz's own hands, their cruel will
ripped from the shadows of the city. In response, riders careen to every
reachable corner of the known realms, telling anyone with a mind to
listen of the boundless riches promised for the Monster's head. The
world now turned against him, Raz is forced to flee, escaping along the
northern roads just as the summer months come to an end. For a time the
coolness and breathtaking verdure of the great rolling woodlands he
finds himself in are a welcome change, offering a sublime peace from a
life that has rarely known more than brutality and bloodshed.
But that peace - as is so often the case - is a shallow trickery. The
North, it seems, is not far-gone from the corruption and wickedness Raz
had hoped to leave behind in the fringe cities. Before long he finds
himself embroiled in the savage politics of this new land, forced to
play a part in the ugly game of intrigue and violence once more. To
survive, Raz must again give way to the Monster, making his stand within
the devouring walls of the cruel coliseum the Northerners call simply
"the Arena." Blood, after all, freezes as hard and cold as anything
else.
