For a thousand years, Sileria has toiled under the yoke of foreign conquerors: the latest, the hedonistic Valdani, have forced the Silerian mountains clans into harsh slavery. Villages have been razed, and the innocent populace dragged to the mines to toil with no hope of escape until their death. By fate and prophecy, five desperate people have been brought reluctantly together, forging an uneasy alliance against the Valdani. They are a peasant-turned-outlaw with a message of resistance; a lethal warrior; a hauntingly seductive aristocrat; Sileria's most powerful sorcerer who craves revenge almost as much as freedom from the Valdani; and a fiery Guardian whose prophetic visions have forged this unlikely union. Torn between their desire to be free and the demands of centuries-old blood feuds, together these five must find a way to help their traditional enemies be strong without exposing any weakness.