Armed with Galdra, the fabled sword of elven kings, Sorak has forged his way across the forbidding wilds of Athas, from the peaks of the Ringing Mountains to the shores of the Great Silt Sea. Now, along with his villichi companion Ryana, he closes in on the goal of his quest, a natal avangion who holds the secret of Sorak's past and the promise of Athas's future. Unfortunately, Sorak is not the only one pursuing the Sage. The sorcerer-king Nibenay seeks to destroy the avangion before he can fully form. For all his power, Nibenay has been unable to track down the Sage, but he knows Sorak will head right to him....