In a place of ruthless politics and doomsday prophecies, Ian Silverstein's swordsmanship and mettle were tested...and he was judged most worthy. Now he must journey back to Tir Na Nog - to save the life of an ailing god. A strange illness has struck Hosea Thorsen in Hardwood, North Dakota. And unless Ian can return him to his abandoned home, the Old One will surely die. But war's winds are blowing the Hidden Ways, threatening the long-standing harmony of the Middle Dominions. And it is Ian whom Odin himself has chosen as peacekeeper - to carry the great god's spear...and his warning.