Year after year, season after season, for as long as Darak's people could remember, the battle of the Oak and the Holly had taken place, bringing an end to Winter and the rebirth of Spring. But this year the battle went wrong as Darak's brother became possessed by the spirit of the Holly. To free him, Darak must undertake a quest to restore the very balance of nature.

Fifteen years have passed since Darak’s quest. His son is now apprenticed to the village’s Tree-Father. Keirith unwittingly commits sacrilege by using his gift to commune with other creatures, the crime for which the evil shaman Morgath was destroyed. But a more immediate danger threatens the people of the Oak and the burgeoning power of the ancient enemy who drove them from their ancestral lands. When Keirith is kidnapped, Darak sets off in pursuit. Their paths take them to the heart of a distant city where both father and son must confront their darkest fears in order to survive.

The stunning final novel in Barbara Campbell's powerful debut fantasy series. Years after their exile, legendary hero Darak and his wife Griane have founded their own tribe and raised four children. A rebel force, led by Darak's own daughter, seeks to recruit him to their cause. But the greatest danger comes from their youngest son, Rigat, actually sired by the Trickster God...