When Gird leads his peasant army against their mageborn rulers, he knows that his sworn follower Luap is the king's bastard son. But in spite of his oath to seek no throne and to renounce his heritage, Luap cannot forget his past. And when he discovers a distant land that he can reach by magic, his loyalties are divided. What harm would it do if he were to break his oath and crown himself king of this far-off place? Deep in the western mountains, in a sanctuary abandoned by the elder races, Luap will find out - as will those who follow him. -publisher's synopsis