Nineteen-year-old Evnis walks the Darkwood, a traitor to his king. Resenting his controlling brother, Gethin, and his late mother, he follows a firelight to a glade where Rhin, Queen of Cambren, tends an iron cauldron. She offers a last chance to turn back, but Evnis refuses, citing an unwanted marriage Gethin has arranged. He offers Rhin the realm of Ardan for her help, promising to rule as her vassal. Rhin agrees, revealing a larger plot: the God-War and the return of Asroth, the creator Elyon’s first creation and fallen angel.

Rhin summons a giant, Uthas, who carries a bound soldier. She slits the captive’s throat and pours his blood into the cauldron. As Rhin chants, a reptilian figure forms in the steam: Asroth. Evnis asks for the power to rule Ardan. Asroth grants it for the price of Evnis himself. Evnis agrees, sealing the pact with his blood. A force strikes him down as Asroth’s voice explodes in his head, declaring the deed is done.

Written 2,000 years earlier and discovered in 1138, this text, authored by the giant Halvor, laments a world broken by the God-War.

It recounts how Asroth, the first being created by Elyon, the creator, turned a host of angels against Elyon and waged war against him in the Otherworld. Defeated, Asroth watched Elyon create a new world, with humans and giants as immortal overseers.

Asroth then caused a starstone to fall to Earth, which the giants forged into the Seven Treasures. He used the stone to engender envy and greed, a corrupting influence to bring about the first murder. As punishment, Elyon stripped humans and giants of immortality. War erupted among the giant clans.

Elyon’s wrath brought the Scourging, in which he decimated both giants and humans, nearly destroying creation. Realizing that Asroth was the cause, however, Elyon ceased his destruction, leaving a remnant of the world and retreating in grief. Asroth and Elyon’s forces continue their eternal war.

Halvor writes of prophetic dreams of Asroth’s return and a final God-War.

At the Spring Fair in Ardan, Corban, nearly 14, is shoved by his friend Dath, earning a scolding from his mother, Gwenith. King Brenin of Ardan arrives with Queen Alona and Princess Edana. Stablemaster Gar takes their horses, and Corban spots his sister, Cywen, among the stablehands.

Loremaster Heb officiates the handbinding of Marrock, Brenin’s nephew. Corban asks why they pray to Elyon; Gwenith explains it is for hope.

Gwenith gives Corban a silver coin, and he and Dath explore the fair. They meet a trader named Ventos, from Helveth. Gar, also from Helveth, appears but deflects Ventos’s questions. After the boys buy gifts, Ventos tosses the boys two free practice swords.

They watch the King’s first-sword, Tull, easily defeat a dishonorable challenger. Afterward, Corban and Dath play-fight with their new swords.

Veradis and his older brother Krelis escort a Vin Thalun corsair prisoner to the country of Tenebral. After 12 nights, they are led before King Aquilus, Queen Fidele, and Prince Nathair.

The prisoner, Deinon, offers information for his life: Lykos, the unified Vin Thalun king, plans a secret meeting with a Tenebralan baron. Nathair urges his father to send a warband. Fidele objects, but Aquilus agrees to consider it.

At Krelis’s request, Aquilus assigns Veradis to Prince Nathair’s new personal warband for training. Nathair welcomes Veradis, but after Krelis departs, Veradis feels uncertain.

Later, the stablemaster Valyn recounts how a Vin Thalun raid killed his family years ago. He then spots an approaching rider: Meical, the King’s counselor, whom Valyn last saw the night his family died.

Vonn, son of Counselor Evnis, and Rafe, an older warrior-in-training, mock Corban and Dath. Rafe punches Corban, who freezes with fear, while Dath is easily overpowered trying to help.

Stablemaster Gar arrives; Rafe flees, stealing Corban’s practice sword. Gar comforts the ashamed Corban. He offers to train Corban in secret, and Corban accepts.

Deciding to visit his friend Dylan, Corban gets a pony from Gar, who warns him away from the Baglun Forest due to wolven sightings. On the giantsway, Corban meets Dylan’s family going to the fair. He decides not to go with them, and after they pass, he turns his pony toward the forbidden forest.

On the day of the fair, Evnis and his huntsman Helfach wait in a dell. Evnis reflects on the 18 years since his pact with Asroth and worries about his sick wife, Fain.

A messenger from Braith, the head of the woodsmen bandits, arrives. Evnis orders him to burn a hold that night, killing the family of six within. Though the man objects to killing women and children, Evnis is resolute.

He rereads his instructions: use Braith’s outlaws to provoke King Brenin, drawing him out, and find a book to help Fain, though only the cauldron can truly save her. He burns the message and rides for Ardan, his thoughts on Queen Alona’s hatred for him and his resolve to find the book.

In the Baglun Forest, Corban touches a giant oathstone stained with what looks like blood and collapses. He has a vision of a man with yellow, wolf-like eyes who shows him a grey-skinned creature emerging from an iron cauldron. As it approaches, white-feathered wings shield Corban, and the vision fades.

Waking to a real howl, he finds a pregnant wolven trapped in a bog and pulls it free. The wolven’s pack appears, but the one he saved sniffs him and leads them away peacefully.

Gar, sent by a worried Cywen, finds him and takes him back to the fair.

Two nights later, Veradis rides with Prince Nathair’s warband to intercept Lykos. Nathair confides that his father is calling all the Banished Land kings to a council in Tenebral and that the giant-stones are bleeding, a sign of exceptional times.

Days later, they approach a dell and find a lone, old man with yellow-tinged eyes. The man, Lykos’s counselor, reveals that his purpose is to propose a truce, suggesting Nathair is Tenebral’s future, not his aging father.

As a demonstration of power, the counselor summons a giant, Alcyon, and erupts the campfire into a wall of flame, trapping Nathair. As Alcyon draws his sword on the prince, Veradis charges through the fire to protect him.

In the paddocks, Cywen worries about Gar and Corban. Princess Edana arrives and compliments her skill with horses.

Spotting Rafe in the crowd, Cywen tackles and pummels him. Edana intervenes, and Rafe departs, mocking Corban for needing his sister to fight for him.

When Gar and Corban return, Corban is ashamed that Cywen fought his battle. Despite his anger, he gives her a brooch he bought. Two armed brothers arrive, seeking King Brenin; Gar directs them onward, his expression troubled.

Kastell, an Isiltir nobleman, guards a merchant train to escape the fortress where he lives with his bullying cousin, Jael. His shieldman Maquin is the last survivor of a hold destroyed by Hunen giants. Mercenary captain Aguila joins them at their fire, and Maquin reveals that the starstone axe has been stolen, enraging King Romar, its last possessor.

Kastell nearly draws on Aguila over a perceived slight. Afterward, Maquin confronts him with a hard truth: People scorn Kastell for his own arrogance and self-pity, not because of the rumors Jael spreads about him.

The next morning, a chastened Kastell apologizes to Aguila, who accepts warmly.

At the evening feast, Corban accepts a mended cloak from Cywen but continues to ignore her. Trader Ventos and Gar join them. Gar reveals that his village in Helveth was destroyed in a giant raid. Corban sees his friend Dylan and his family, who are leaving. After Corban says goodbye to Dylan’s family, Loremaster Heb recounts the founding of Ardan: how Cambros the Bull defeated the Benothi giants.

After the tale, a red glow appears in the distance. Gar identifies it as Dylan’s family’s hold, which is burning, and cries for everyone to mount up.

On the sixth day of Kastell’s journey, his caravan is ambushed. Hunen giants emerge from the forest and slaughter nearly everyone. Kastell saves Maquin by charging a giantess; together, they kill her.

From higher ground, they see the giants retrieve the starstone axe from a wain before being spotted and pursued. They ride desperately for the border until Maquin’s horse breaks a leg. Kastell dismounts to make a last stand with his friend. As the giants close in, King Romar arrives with an Isiltiran warband to save them.

Corban rides with Gar and King Brenin to the burning hold. Inside, Corban finds Dylan’s father Darol’s body and, in the feast-hall, the burned remains of the family, including his friend Dylan. Devastated, he vomits, and his father, Thannon, comforts him.

Gar speculates that outlaws from Braith’s band are responsible. Corban watches as Marrock reports finding the tracks of a dozen horsemen. King Brenin swears a blood oath to bring the murderers to justice.

The next morning, a grieving Corban helps the trader Ventos load his wain before it departs. He runs to his father’s forge, where Thannon puts him to work. As they leave the forge for the night, a Tenebral rider approaches.