Book 2 of the expanded editions of Storm Constantine's ground-breaking first Wraeththu trilogy, including new appendices.
Swift is a young harling, growing up among the Varrs, one of the most feared of Wraeththu tribes. When a face from the past reappears, amid a host of dire omens, Swift has to face the truth about his own kind, and make difficult decisions about what is best for their future.
Escaping crimes he cannot bear to confess, the enigmatic Cal has returned to Galhea, to wreak havoc upon Swift's family. Watching helplessly, as his parents fall to warring, Cal pulling their strings effortlessly, Swift feels things can't get any worse. But then the Varrs decide to march south and confront the Gelaming threat that lurks upon the edges of their territory. Only no one in Galhea is aware of how devastating the powers of the Gelaming are - how they can warp the mind and the heart.
Cal, Swift and Leef, a young har of Galhea, go south to seek the truth, following the disappearance of Swift's father Terzian's armies. What they find there is fear and manipulation, but perhaps redemption can be found there also. But not before the soul is tested to its limit.