Ten years beyond the Darkwar, the demon hordes are relentless in their quest to subjugate a realm of magic and wonder . . .

The defeat of the Demon King Maarg hasn't stemmed the death tide, and an even graver danger now looms. The fearsome demon Dahun and the mad necromancer Belasco have joined forces--a union of black magics that no power on Midkemia may be strong enough to withstand.

The conflict has already claimed the lives of nearly everyone dear to the Black Sorcerer Pug. In uneasy alliance with the Conclave of Shadows, Midkemia's clandestine protectors, the distraught champion must stand firm against the demonic plague that has overrun worlds. And at the gates of darkness--where shadows hide deeper shadows--Midkemia's most terrible battle will be joined . . . as a malevolence beyond anything that came before is unleashed upon the world.