The Enemy, the Ally and the Angel of Darkness have been named ¿ and the prophecy of the Key is coming to pass, promising chaos and destruction for Lusara and its people. The Enemy is a Robert Douglas, the new Duke of Haddon, named by the Key and banished from the Enclave, for he will neither bow to the will of the ruling council nor will he use his sorcerous powers to overthrow the usurper King Selar. But he cannot test content at Dunlorn, for his reckless brother Finnlay, believed dead by most of Lusara, has left the sorcerers¿ hidden colony and is headed straight for trouble. The Ally is Jenn, now returned to her family and learning to live the life of a noblewoman, whilst using her own powers secretly to help those disobeying the Guide¿s punitive new laws. Then Lusara¿s Queen asks her aid, and Henn must once again call on Robert and the Bond they share. And the Angel of Darkness masquerades an Alderman, using his position close to the king to foment his own dastardly plans for Lusara. A sorcerer of immense power, descended directly from he who made the Key and the Word of Destruction, he seeks both artefact and spell, the one to enhance his own powers, the other to wield ¿ And the Enemy, the Ally and the Angel of Darkness must each face their own greatest weaknesses.