A blistering sequel to the acclaimed Bodyguard of Lightning takes you into a world full of wonder, magic, and encroaching dark. In the land of Maras Dantias, peace once reigned. Then the humans came, wreaking destruction, killing the enchantment, and bringing war. Even the climate changed, with once-warm summers now autumnal. Of all the races in Maras Dantias, the Orcs, led by Stryke, were the most ferocious. Now, he and his troops have become renegades, chased by his own people as well as the humans. Only a long-lost relic can save them now—and the rest of Maras Dantias, too. But, time is running out and a new foe endangers them all. "Excellent fantasy with a twist.an all action adventurer."—SFX "Nicholls tells his tale briskly and entertainingly."—Starburst ".brilliantly re-invents the Orcs, underdogs of fantasy fiction."—Starlog "Demonstrates a truly coruscating imagination in its outrageous narrative."—Publishing News, Books of the Year