Some are born to power. Others must find it within themselves. Decades ago, a powerful enemy called the Forgers attacked their homeland, nearly destroying everything. Few remember the time before the attack, but the Forgers have not forgotten. They have spent decades preparing, gaining power, and now their plan has nearly reached fruition. On the outskirts of the city, living within the stronghold of ancient power, Haern longs for a life beyond what he knows—and away from the long shadow cast by his father. When an attack on the city renews a decades old battle, Haern volunteers to leave the city and find the one person that can lead their people to victory. His inexperience might kill him, but his instincts might be the reason they succeed. For Daniel, a member of the ruling family, life in the palace is easy and his path is clear. Eventually, he will rise up to sit on the council and lead the people of the city. An injury to someone he cares for changes everything for him, and he must go to the one person he despises most for help. If he fails, he’ll learn what it means to lose everything he cares about. When their fates intertwine, they must put aside past differences. Stopping the Forgers will require strength and power that both must find within them—or more than their people will suffer.

The Forgers proved to be only part of a greater plan to gain the power of the stones, remnants from powerful beings lost to time. Their power has never been controlled by one person but now someone is close to changing that. Having survived the last attack, Haern trains, working with the assassin Galen to hone his skills, learning about poisons and how to best use his control over metal. When he becomes the target of another attack, he must discover what the Forgers plan before it’s too late. His father might be the key to Haern’s understanding, but the more he learns about what his father has done, the less Haern wants to follow in his footsteps. As Lucy struggles to control her new power, she’s asked to help find the depth of the C’than betrayal. It requires her to learn more about her new abilities and exposes her to dangers she had never imagined. She’s not a fighter, but she must find strength within her to ensure the safety of those she cares about. While staying with Lucy, Daniel hopes she will eventually come to see him the way he sees her. He trains, realizing that despite everything he learned of fighting, he’s still a novice. He needs to improve his skill to protect Lucy, but saving her might require more than his ability with the sword; it will require his mind. The stones must be protected from those who would use them for their own dark purpose, but another has maneuvered for decades, and it might already be too late to prevent the stones from falling into the wrong hands.

An unexpected threat to the power of the elder stones begins to emerge. With his father likely dead, Haern trains to face the Ai’thol, using every ability he possesses to be strong enough to defeat them. A chance encounter with someone who’s lost more than him changes everything. Daniel uncovers the Ai’thol using a new alloy that gives impossible powers and he might be the only one capable of stopping them. The search to understand the alloy brings him back to Elaeavn where he uncovers something unexpected. To understand his future, he must face his past. Lucy gains an understanding of her abilities but struggles with her role among the C’than. How can she serve them when those she rescued need her help and leadership? Not all is as it seems. The search to understand the elder stones continues, but powers maneuvering for decades are playing a game only a few understand leaving those stuck in the middle facing a deadly threat for survival.

The leader of the Ai’thol has worked for centuries on his plan to control the power of the stones. The final steps in that plan come into focus. Altered and augmented by his increased connection to the metal lorcith, Haern must use this ability to protect the women he’s brought with him from the dangerous city of Dreshen. A series of attacks suggests a control over metal even Haern might not be able to withstand. Worse, the source of the attacks might be closer than he knows. Daniel’s search for the remaining stone brings him to a surprising place. Once there, it becomes increasingly clear how little they know about the stones—or how to protect them. Answers require he learn how to master aspects of his powers that have been beyond him, but are essential for what is to come. Lucy begins to suspect another threat that rivals even Olander Fahr. Learning more about this threat requires she chase the one person she fears most. If she can’t find and face the Architect, they won’t know what Olander Fahr intends in time to stop his plan. Separated from the Great One, Ryn wants to understand her blessing, but she’s tasked with much more. Searching for answers reveals a deeper divide within the Ai’thol. As emissary, she shouldn’t be the one to fix it, but in the Great One’s absence, she might be the only one who can. Power begins to gather to stop a great danger for more than the power of the Elder Stones is at stake.

A dangerous plan might be the only way to defeat Olander Fahr. With the threat of another attack, Haern must use his new abilities to make a dangerous gambit. Doing so requires he trust someone who has betrayed him once before, and count on others who still don’t fully understand the nature of their abilities. If they succeed, they might finally be able to stop Olander Fahr before he manages to acquire another of the Elder Stones. Daniel struggles to understand his connection to the shadows along with what it means that he can sit at the Council of Elders. When a new threat appears, his unique understanding of the shadows might be the key to survival. Lucy continues her search to discover the longer game. With the Architect now imprisoned, she has access to someone who can guide her to where Olander Fahr might attack next, but they remain a step behind. A growing fear that someone has deceived her leads her in a new direction, but it’s one that will require her to make a dangerous choice. Isolated within the city of Lexa, Ryn must continue to serve the Great One, but a new challenge to her authority forces her to look for power in a different way. Plans unfold, but for the first time, all begin to wonder if the one behind them is different than who they had believed. And if not Olander Fahr, who is the real threat?

A dangerous game nears its end. All must find their purpose, but the rules have changed around them. A dark energy descends, and Haern searches for understanding. The metal he’s known his entire life, metal he’s come to know better than almost anyone alive, has changed. Now he must find out why. The key to this dark power is something unexpected, and requires him to seek a dangerous alliance. While exploring the space between Sliding, Lucy finds a danger she had never expected. Now she must find her way past before it’s too late. She searches for help from an expected source, but the key to survival must come from her. As Daniel discovers an attack unlike any the Ai’thol have thrown at them before, he realizes the game has changed—as has the opponent. Surviving means gaining a new understanding, but time is short and he still doesn’t fully understand his newly augmented powers. Ryn searches for answers, questioning everything she’s been shown. The Temple of the Mind is the key, but when it falls, how will she learn what she needs in time? A dark power pushes toward them unlike anything they’ve ever faced. All must find their purpose before the final battle unfolds, but each move reveals they might have already lost.

A dark energy descends, and Haern searches for understanding. The metal he’s known his entire life, metal he’s come to know better than almost anyone alive, has changed. Now he must find out why. The key to this dark power is something unexpected, and requires him to seek a dangerous alliance. While exploring the space between Sliding, Lucy finds a danger she had never expected. Now she must find her way past before it’s too late. She searches for help from an expected source, but the key to survival must come from her. Understanding the Shadow Queen brings Daniel, Rayen, and Carth back where they first encountered her. What they discover changes everything Daniel knows of the stones. For Ryn to know her purpose, she must return to where she began to question. As she enters the Temple of the Mind, she uncovers a danger greater than anything she has ever imagined. For her to survive it, she must accept her past. The real game begins. All are nothing more than pieces on a game board, but who will lead the attack?

The Shadow Queen begins her attack. Can the Council learn their purpose in time? The four members of the Council begin to work together as they search for the fifth. Finding that person might be the only way to stop the Shadow Queen. They’ll need all the help they can get, but the remaining Elders have disappeared, leaving only those they’ve chosen to replace them. As the Shadow Queen’s nearly unstoppable attackers begin to move, the four new members of the Council are all that stand between her gaining the power she’s sought for centuries. Each of them has a role to play, but the game is not what they have thought. Anticipating what she might do requires finding one who knows her mind, but that way opens each to her machinations. Enemies must put aside differences. Beliefs are shattered. And sacrifices must be made. The thrilling conclusion to the Elder Stones Saga!