Harald Fairhair has taken the Golden City. The Heptarch has been overthrown and the entire continent watches Emperor Tytos' next actions. Harald is not the same boy he was before his enslavement; now he is a warrior, keen of body and keen of mind. But he is purposeless - Lot is still lost to him, and Gabriel rules Ordrove in all but name. The Emperor offers him a choice: subdue the continent, bring its rulers to heel, and then he will turn Liriam's might towards Ordrove. With Tytos' backing, Harald has a chance for revenge. All he needs to do is the impossible. Conquer a continent his ancestors have been trying to invade for the past thousand years. Yet Harald has something none of his ancestors could call upon. He has the favour of the Beast in chains, the monstrous being that dwells beneath the Golden City. But the Beast has its own plans, and unbeknownst to Harald, his actions have begun a chain of events that threatens not just his own life, but the entire world...