The comfortable world of Martris Drayke, second son of King Bricen of Margolan, is shattered when his older half-brother, Jared, and Jared’s dark mage, Foor Arontala, kill the king and seize the throne. Tris is the only surviving member of the royal family aside from Jared the traitor. Tris flees with three friends: Soterius, captain of the guard; Carroway, the court’s master bard; and Harrtuck, a member of the royal guard. Tris harbors a deep secret. In a land where spirits walk openly and influence the affairs of the living, he suspects he may be the mage heir to the power of his grandmother, Bava K’aa, once the greatest sorceress of her age. Such magic would make Tris a Summoner, the rarest of magic gifts, capable of arbitrating between the living and the dead.

This is the second installment of the Chronicles of the Necromancer. Having escaped being murdered by his evil brother, Jared, Tris must take control of his magical abilities to summon the dead, and gather an army big enough to claim back the throne of his dead father. But it isn't merely Jared that Tris must combat. The dark mage, Foor Arontala, has schemes to raise the Obsidian King.

In Dark Haven, the effects of Jared the Usurper’s reign of terror strike at the stability of the Winter Kingdoms. Undead forces align against Lord Jonmarc Vahanian of Dark Haven in a struggle for power between mortals and the vayash moru. Some among the vayash moru are unhappy that a mortal lord is returning to Dark Haven. Jonmarc must win the trust of Dark Haven’s mortal residents while playing a dangerous game of politics with its vayash moru. As everyone keeps reminding him, the last four lords died young.Throughout the Winter Kingdoms, magic has become a dangerous and unpredictable force. The Flow, a river of magical e nergy, was badly damaged when Arontala ripped the Soulcatcher orb from beneath Dark Haven years ago. Now, the Flow is unstable, threatening the lives and sanity of the mages who draw on it for power. As King Martris Drayke prepares for his wedding, he must also prepare for war against rebels still loyal to Jared. Isencroft is on the brink of civil war over the looming reality of a joint kingdom. Only one thing is certain-the Winter Kingdoms will be changed forever, and innocence is the first casualty.

Treachery & blood magic threaten King Matris Drayke's hold on the throne he risked to everything to win. As the battle against a traitor lord comes to its final days, war, plague & betrayal bring Margolan to the brink of destruction. Civil war looms in Isencroft. In Dark Haven, Lord Jonmarc Vahanian has bargained his soul for vengeance.