Ronin called no man master. He was the finest swordsman of the Freehold, as sharp and deadly as his blade. Yet as the ancient city faltered, Ronin alone refused to pledge himself to any of the powerful Saardin who ruled the crumbling underground world of levels. But now dark magic was loose in the world. As the ravings of the Magic Man foretold doom, Ronin and his lover, the sensual K'reen, were swept into a maelstrom of treachery, violence, and sudden death. Their only hope lay in the lost scroll of the Ancients. And the desperate search led Ronin down into the very bowels of the earth, and up again, to the barrier of Freehold, where the endless ice began ...

A warrior and his magic guide fight to survive on a planet of ice Ronin never believed there could be life on the surface of the earth. He was a Bladesman of the Freehold, a subterranean city built centuries ago to shelter civilization from the ecological catastrophe that coated the world with ice. But when the rulers of the Freehold turned on him, Ronin fled the only way he could: up, to the frozen surface. Accompanied by Borros, the Magic Man, Ronin strikes out across the ice shelf, seeking shelter beside the frozen sea. What the pair finds is the exotic port city of Sha’angh’sei, home to the beautiful Kiri, where Ronin finds that everything is his for the taking. But even in this land of pleasure, they are not free from danger. Mythic creatures called Makkon threaten destruction. Ronin and Kiri must fight side by side to defeat this terrifying adversary.

In was Kai-feng, the end of days, the time of chaos. One by one, the four grisly abominations called the Makkon had come together, marshaling their inhuman armies to reap a bitter harvest of death. Mankind's struggle to turn back the tide of blood was doomed, for soon the hideous Makkon would summon their master, The Dolman. Truly, then, would all hope be lost. No choice, no chance remained for humanity—save only one. The arcane magics of the mysterious Scroll of the Ancients would have to be invoked. For only if Ronin could discover the true meaning of the Scroll's secrets would he unlock the power to face the inconceivable horror of The Dolman, in the final battle at the end of time.

Terrible death stalks the streets of teeming Sha'angh'sei, and bloody vengeance rides in its wake. No man—or woman—is safe. Then ghastly terror strikes at Moichi, oath-brother to the Dai-San. At the Circus of Souls, Moichi discovers a prize, more enchanting, more deadly than he can imagine, and he's pitched headlong into a mission of rescue and revenge, with the lovely, enigmatic Bujun warrior Chiisai at his side. Together they search to the farthest reaches of the world, where the moon shines not in one color, but in many. There, beyond the limits of the human realm, waits a mad sorceress . . . and the Firemask, the fearsome key that will unlock every nightmare the world has ever known! From the Paperback edition.

He is Ronin no more. He is the Dai-San, the Sunset glorious arid terrible to behold. Neither man nor god yet the power he wields is immeasurable. He slew The Dolman the dark angel of Chaos. But the Dai-San is not invincible. He still has lessons to learn, bitter ones. Along the darkest road of his struggles, the Dai-San was aided by his beloved bond-brother Moichi; and in his moments of relief he earned the love of Chiisai. They are his greatest allies, for they are unswerving in their loyalty to him; but they are also his greatest weakness, for each has seen inside his soul and knows how he can he defeated. Now, in a world where nothing is as it seems and dangerous ambitions are brutally realized, Chaos finds an agent through which it can return and once again challenge its deadliest enemy the Dai-San. And whatever the price, Chaos will have its revenge...