TIGER Left as an infant to die in the desert, and enslaved by the Southron tribe who found him, he had won his freedom and his name by slaying a deadly sandtiger. Now he was a legendary sword-dancer—possibly the best in the South. But his true origins were still unknown. DEL Born in the frozen North, she had seen her family brutally murdered and her youngest brother carried away to be sold into slavery. Compelled by her rage for vengeance, she had become the most deadly sword-singer in the North. In the three years since Tiger and Del's fateful meeting, these mismatched companions have become true partners, their alliance forged by blood, magic, danger, adventure...and something more. Exiled from both the North and the South, the two have now set sail to search for Tiger's homeland—but no journey is ever without complications for Tiger and Del. Shipwrecked, nearly drowned, abducted by pirates, bedeviled by magic, the Southron sword-dancer and the Northern sword-singer finally do arrive at their destination. But before the mystery of his origins can be solved, Tiger must face another truth about himself which may prove more dangerous than any sword-dance. His own personal brand of magic, long denied by Tiger, is finally manifesting. And because of its very uniqueness, Tiger's awakening power may prove his undoing.