Here is the second and final novel featuring the sorceress Secca. It is a direct sequel to The Shadow Sorceress, and the fifth novel in the Spellsong Cycle. This book completes the Cycle... for the present. The sorceress Secca, principal foster daughter of Anna, the legendary Soprano Sorceress, has taken on responsibilities and authority far beyond what she felt prepared for upon the unexpected death of her beloved mentor. She has fought battles, led armies, subdued a rebellion, and made alliances. She has also, unexpectedly, found love and support in the person of her new husband, Alcaren, a soldier of the people of Ranuak and himself a secret sorcerer in a society where magic is not trusted and sorcerers are often assassinated.
As the new Sorceress Protector of Defalk, she must deal carefully with her willful master and wield her power to save his kingdom and the rest of the free world from the Maitre of Sturinn, his invading armies, his dominating fleets, and his legions of master sorcerers. Faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, she is forced to test her own powers over and over again, invent or rediscover ever more destructive magical spells, and guard herself against treachery, magical attacks, and silent opposition from supposed allies.
All this while, Secca has been teaching her husband and her young and inexperienced apprentice the skills they need to aid her in creating spells powerful enough to shake the foundations of the world.
