Fair Isle was once legendary among the lands, a place of wealth, elegance and culture. Now it lies blackened and despoiled, its barbarian Ghebite conquerors trampling places that, for centuries, had known only peace and beauty. Imoshen, one of the last of the T'En—legendary for their magical powers and their ethereal grace—carries the Ghebite General Tulkhan's child, but she must still battle to defend both her position in his new kingdom and her people's lives and futures. Tulkhan himself, bewitched both by her fierceness and her country's ancient heritage, fears and resents her even as he grows to love her. And something else threatens Imoshen's safety in this new world. For there is one other living T'En - Reothe, a prince of her people, and once her betrothed - who means to reclaim his country and his throne once more; and Imoshen besides...