Heroes become legend, legend becomes myth, and empires decay as ordinary men fail in their oaths. Above all, sorcerers never forgive and forget. Twin siblings Adam and Charity are about to find themselves in the middle of events that are already in motion, threatening to shake the foundations of the empire. Moreover, if the prophecy made by Labad, the last great Emperor, is right, the twins are the only ones with the power to save the world from annihilation. Milward the wizard has read the prophecy—at least he has a copy though the original has been lost for over a thousand years, hidden with the dwarves, a tight-lipped people unwilling to share a secret if their lives depended on it. And it does… Through the dwarves, the original prophecy is given to the twins, along with Labad’s weapons, and, though they don’t know it yet, his abilities. The evil sorcerer Gilgafed has watched all this take place and he's made his plans carefully. Due in part to his previous machinations, the empire crumbled yet didn't fall. He intends to complete the full extent of his destruction at all costs. If the empire is to survive, the twins must stay alive at all costs. For the barrier between this world and the shadow is beginning to thin, and Adam and Charity will face all the terrors the Sorcerer can bring to bear while Milward is forbidden to interfere.