Once the bravest master of the sword his kingdom had ever known, the warrior known as Saukendar is now a mountain hermit. Betrayed by the emperor he once protected, Saukendar has left the way of the sword behind him forever - along with everything else he has ever known.

Or so he thinks. For when a headstrong peasant girl burning to avenge her murdered family demands that he train her, Saukendar is faced with a momentous choice. He can send Taizu away, never to see her again...

...or he can join her and destroy the tyrant who has nearly destroyed them both!