In her hands, the young wit¿ch Elena holds the awesome energies of blood magick--and more. For the fate of all Alasea hinges on her recovery of the Blood Diary, a potent talisman forged five hundred years ago, then locked away behind wards too strong for any mage to break. But only with the secrets recorded in its pages can Elena defeat the evil magicks of the Dark Lord. The challenge? The Diary lies hidden in A¿loa Glen, the fabled city that belongs to Shorkan, chief lieutenant of the Dark Lord, and his fearsome army. Now, with the aid of the ocean-dwelling Sy-wen and her great dragon, Elena prepares a desperate invasion of A¿loa Glen. At her side stands the one-armed warrior Er¿ril, her faithful protector and the only man who knows how to unlock the wards surrounding the Blood Diary--a man who also happens to be the brother of the dreaded Shorkan. Meanwhile, Elena¿s brother, whose magick brings him prophetic dreams, has glimpsed a future in which Elena falls by the deadly sword of . . . Er¿ril. But his visions do not always come true. How can he act against his sister¿s trusted guardian on the basis of a future betrayal that may never happen? For Elena¿s sake, and for the sake of all Alasea, how can he afford not to?