Anila, peaceful warrior woman, trained all her life in the desert, at the Monastery of the Celestial Gate, to take the vows of the mighty Protectors. That's all she's ever known, all she ever wanted. But a cloud of black wings haunts her nightmares.

When a barbarian horde invades from the north, Bayor Khal seems unstopable, determined to destroy everything in his path. Rumors of his cruelty make the most powerful princes tremble in their stone fortresses.

Anila is pulled into the inevitable clash as a prophecy unfolds, blurring the lines between good and evil, and testing her resolve. Nothing is as it seems... An ancient enemy rises in the shadows, and the falling darkness threatens to engulf Anila and everyone she loves.