A Trial of Blood and Steel

Sasha is a fighter, the likes of which the highland country of Lenayin has never seen. Spurning her royal heritage to be raised by the great warrior Kessligh, Sasha's exquisite swordplay astonishes all who see it. But she is young, untested in battle, and often led by her rash temper. In the complex world of Lenayin loyalties, her willfulness is attracting the wrong kind of attention. Lenin is a land divided by its beliefs: the Verenthane of the ruling class, and the pagan Goeren-yai, amongst whom Sasha now lives.

Petrodor is a city of alleys and shadows, where life is cheap and the only respected currency is blood. Away from the hills of her Lenayin homeland, Sasha is fighting a new battle in the dark alleys and wealthy houses of Petrodor. An influential trading center, Petrodor holds the key to preventing the coming war between Lenayin and the mighty Bacosh. Together with her mentor Kessligh, Sasha attempts to navigate the political intrigues of the port city and find a new way to stop the war.

For 200 years Tracato has been the center of enlightenment, as the serrin have occupied human lands and sought to remake humanity anew. But the serrin have not destroyed Rhodaan's feudal families entirely, and as Tracato faces the greatest threat to its survival in two centuries, old rivalries are stirring. Sasha must assist her mentor Kessligh to strengthen the Tracato Nasi-Keth, yet with one royal sister siding with the feudalists and another to be married to Tracato's most powerful foe, her loyalties are divided.

The Army of Regent Arrosh advances on the forces loyal to Saalshen, homeland of the serrin people, as the serrins' friends are in full retreat. Their only hope is to reach the city of Jahnd - the serrin word for haven - across the Ipshal River. The Army of Lenayin marches with the Regent, but Sasha, sister of newly crowned King Koenyg, can no longer stomach the awful cause for which her people fight.