As an ambitious Dragonlord embarks on a plan to rebuild the ruined Empire in his own name, the Phoenix Zerika, the true heir to the throne, retrieves the Imperial Orb from the Paths of the Dead
and, with the assistance of Sethra Lavode, launches a climactic battle of sorcery and arms to regain the Empire, in the sequel to The Paths of the Death and The Lord of Castle Black. Reprint.