In the kingdom of Branion, the hereditary royal line is blessed--or cursed--with the power of the Flame, a magic which can as easily destroy its human vessel as well as whatever foe it has been unleashed against. Two hundred years before the events of THE STONE PRINCE, Branion is beseiged by a civil war, and only Simon, Court Painter and closest friend of the kingdom's ruler, can find the courage to rescue a young child--the heir to the Flame--from becoming a victim in the family power struggle!