The Castle of Man, a huge towering castle that straddles an important mountain pass to the north of Tagaret, is besieged by ogres, goblins, yakis, and dark sorcerers. If it falls, the armies of the Dark One will descend on Tagaret to end the Ancient Prophecy. Far to the south of Tagaret, Emperor Hanchi and his hundred-thousand man army is moving northward, destroying everything in its path.

The Castle of Man, a huge towering castle that straddles an important mountain pass to the north of Tagaret, is besieged by ogres, goblins, yakis, and dark sorcerers. If it falls, the armies of the Dark One will descend on Tagaret to end the Ancient Prophecy. Far to the south of Tagaret, Emperor Hanchi and his hundred-thousand man army is moving northward, destroying everything in its path. Caught in the middle are King Arik and his Alceans. As King Arik struggles to find the Dragons' Onyx and restore it to the Sword of Heavens, his small band of heroes must battle against these two huge armies to save Tagaret from destruction. Meanwhile, Master Khatama is gathering a mysterious group of master magicians that appears bent on threatening the Ancient Prophecy. The stakes in the war of good versus evil have never been higher. The fate of the world rests in the hands of a small group of warriors known as the Knights of Alcea.

Lorelei Aurelius is the smartest inquisitor in the mountain city of Ancris. When a mysterious tip leads her to a clandestine meeting between the Church and the hated Red Knives, she uncovers a plot that threatens not only her home but the empire itself. The trail leads to Rylan Holbrooke, a notorious thief posing as a dragon singer. Lorelei soon discovers there's more to Rylan than meets the eye. He came to Ancris to solve the very same mystery she stumbled onto. Knowing his incarceration could lead to the Red Knives' achieving their goals, Lorelei makes a fateful decision: she frees him. Now branded as traitors, the two flee the city on dragonback. In the massive forest known as the Holt, they follow the trail of clues and discover something terrible. The Red Knives are planning to awaken a powerful demi-god in the holiest shrine in Ancris, and for some reason the Church is willing to allow it. It forces their return to Ancris, where the unlikely allies must rally the very people who've vowed to capture them before it's too late.

Just as peace between Omunga and Sakova appears to be a certainty, an evil mage steals the body of the newly chosen Katana, leader of the Omungan people. As the new Katana plots the destruction of the Sakova, a strange mystical disease ravages the country producing widespread famine. Both countries stand poised to annihilate each other, but the Star of Sakova fears a greater threat, which is brewing unseen across the ocean. To confront that new threat, she must preserve the armies of her Omungan enemy. Against all odds, she embarks upon a path towards a peaceful solution to the war, a path that could likely imperil the very existence of her own people. Meanwhile, two young orphans discover that they are sisters and set out from the Sakova on an ocean voyage to discovery their roots. What they discover is enough to terrorize both the Omungans and the Sakovans, if the young sisters manage to escape the Island of Darkness to tell their story.

Scrambling to prepare for the imminent invasion of their homeland, the Knights of Alcea respond in unorthodox ways. On the home front, the Alceans set out to design devious traps that will lessen the incredible odds facing them. In Zara, Knights of Alcea and Alcean Rangers set their sights on the heirs to the Federation thrones. On both continents, a campaign of disinformation is begun with the Alcean spymaster personally throwing himself into the very heart of the enemy’s camp. But neither are Alutar's minions standing idle. The Claws of Alutar strike deep into the heart of Alcea, bringing death inside the walls of Tagaret, and the Great Demon's forces gain a decisive victory by finding something that was never supposed to be found. The world is rushing to war at a dizzying pace, and there is no way to stop it. Or is there?

Before the Prince of Alcea can secure the Dwarven Ruby for the Sword of Heavens, he must first find an ancient magical shield created by dwarven magicians eons ago. The shield was carried into battle against the goblins, but the dwarves that carried it have never been heard from again. Meanwhile, the mysteriously senile Mage entices some of the Children of the Ancient Prophecy to join him in what may be a suicide attack of the Imperial Palace of Emperor Hanchi. The Contest of Power reaches a critical stage in Tagaret, and gypsy rebels must determine what the Ancient Prophecy means to them. Discover a world of might, magic, and intrigue as the search for the fourth gem of the Sword of Heavens brings danger to a new level.

In ancient days, the mightiest of dragons were fearless in battle against the foes of Kaltara. Those special dragons were called Winged Warriors, and they were revered by the elves. In Winged Warrior, the Torak meets a Winged Warrior and learns that she is to become his battlesteed. The Time of Cleansing fast approaches as the Motangans plant a spy deep within the ruling circle of the Sakovans. The mage-spy Aakuta is discovered on the Island of Darkness and condemned to death, while rebellious Khadoran lords conspire to overthrow Emperor Marak. The elven nation is beset by plotting from antiwar factions, while the Jiadin of Fakara threaten to abandon their defensive positions. With the whole world on the brink of a war where there will be no surrenders, no prisoners, and no negotiations, Vand's minions sow the seeds of destruction as they prepare to launch the invasion that will destroy all life.

Lord Marak tries to gain support from the lords of Khadora as the Jiadin invasion begins. Complicating the situation is the arrival of a male mage, something unheard of in Khadora.

Massive Federation armies invade Alcea through magical portals seeking to devastate the entire continent. Outnumbered four to one, the Alceans grimly prepare for the bloody conflict, but victory on the battlefield is not good enough for young King Arik. Knowing that the Great Demon has initiated the war between the two countries solely to provide a million tears to fulfill an ancient prophecy, King Arik demands that the Knights of Alcea spare as many of the enemy soldiers as they can. While defeat on the battlefield means death for the Alceans, a victory that allows the Great Demon to fulfill the ancient prophecy will mean eternal servitude to Alutar.

As two continents prepare for a world-wide war, a small group of Alceans plot to free the Dielderal elves from the grip of the Federation. The goal is to make the elves simply disappear, but over a thousand elven children are held captive in the four major cities of the Federation, and the Dielderal elves will not flee while their children are endangered. Complicating matters are the 'births' of a new breed of demonkin, the Claws of Alutar. While the K'san demonkin are charged with crushing Alcea, the Claws of Alutar are singular in purpose. Their goal is to assassinate the heroes of the Mage, and their victory would spell far more than defeat for Alcea, as the world would crumble into a decaying ball of misery.