Bestselling author Melanie Rawn's triumphant return to high fantasy. The only survivor of royal treachery that eliminates his entire family, Azzad al-Ma'aliq flees to the desert and dedicates himself to vengeance. With the help of the Shagara, a nomadic tribe of powerful magicians, he begins to take his revenge-but at a terrible cost to himself. Prequel novel to The Golden Key.

The youngest and greatest member of a family of master painters whose art has the power to change reality, Sario Grijalva violates the family tradition of using the power for good, initiating a pattern of treachery and betrayal. Reprint."