More than a thousand years ago, the king of Appernysia banished the Rayders to the Exile. The Beholders, men with the ability to see and harness the world’s energy, were slaughtered, and the Second Age began without magic. Now, ruthless Rayder scouts are searching Appernysia for a Beholder to lead their people to victory against the Appernysian king. When Rayders come to Pree, twins Lon and Mellai Marcs are caught in the middle of an ancient conflict. Seventeen-year-old Lon discovers he is a Beholder—the first of the Second Age—and the one the Rayders are searching for. Lon must learn to use his power before it kills him, but the only person who can help him is deep within Rayder territory. He must decide if keeping himself alive is incentive enough to betray his family, his king, and the woman he loves by joining the enemy.

Lon Marcs has led the Rayders in an overwhelming victory, but his trials are far from over. A new Rayder Commander must be selected. Mutiny swells in the shadows of Taeja’s ruins. The Rayder civilians must be escorted to their new home. And the biggest question on everyone's mind is how they will survive the brutal winter. Appernysia fairs no better. Its civilians are defecting to Taeja every week, fleeing from their own deteriorating nation. Yet, as an Itorean handmaiden, Kaylen Shaw realizes that Appernysia's weaknesses are far more complex than the rulings of a misguided monarch. The last hope for their kingdom dwells with Mellai Marcs, but can she master her power and find the courage to oppose her own twin brother?