The peaceful planet of Theras, a Territory in the southern sector of the N'varda Galaxy, has been invaded! An unknown enemy, brutal and bound on mindless, inexplicable destruction, invades the home of the High Seat and Cai'rin dei Theras (Queen of Theras), Ahloren Vindor'hien, the Bearer of the powerful Sword of Heaven, and because of the planet's limited technology and weaponry the beautiful capital city, Malkhyrin, is overrun within the hour. But the real reason for the invasion is known only to a few. Drakoor s'et is an arch demon who came secretly to Theras months before, seeking the fabled Sword of Shadows thought lost forever. His plan is to use the Sword of Shadows to kill Ahloren Vindor'hien and so take possession of the Sword of Heaven when she dies. He befriends Jaryth, the youngest son of Ahloren, who is introverted, gullible, and innocent and seeks after adventure, and promises him the adventure and excitement he so craves. Drakoor, in truth, wants and needs both the Sword of Shadows and the Sword of Heaven to free Iionn, his master and brother, still trapped in the Void where Kurrn, the Creator of all things, has banished him and his rebellious brethren forever. Drakoor, disguised as a u'man (human), convinces Jaryth to help him, and because of his love of history and study, Jaryth manages, through intensive investigation and superior intelligence and Sword-enhanced instincts thanks to his unique birth from his Sword Bearer mae (mother) to track down the Sword of Shadows. Deciding not to tell Drakoor, and thinking to rather take the Sword to his mae when he finds it as a peace offering for being absent from home for so long, he goes off on his own and discovers the Sword of Shadows hidden in a cave off the southern coast of Theras. But what Drakoor had not told the boy was that the Sword needs a host in order to be effective, and so, as Jaryth approaches the Sword, a creation of Kurrn, and a very powerful and destructive weapon meant only for His angels to bear, it agonisingly transfers into him to Drakoor's utter fury. Thanks to her spies, Ahloren is aware of what has happened to her son that he was misled by an evil being and found the Sword of Shadows and mourns bitterly for him in private. Therefore, she has no choice on the day the palace is invaded when, in an act of pure desperation, an act that will hopefully protect N'varda, home to thousands of other races and species, against annihilation, she transfers the Sword of Heaven into her daughter, Khyri (the main character of the story) who never wanted it, and never wanted to be queen and High Seat of Theras, although she is next in line to the throne. Khyri's eldest brother, Khyl, now Keeper of the Sword Bearer, has been given the task of protecting his sister and training her to use the Sword, and as the royal family (Khyri, Khyl, and Brahn, the second oldest of Ahloren's children, and Aa'rel and Jae'el Beloruuis, their cousins) flees the capital, little does Khyl know just how difficult this task will be for him. For the weeks and months following the transfer, Khyri, a once spirited, happy seventeen year old girl who infected others with her joy and love for life, now refuses to speak, the shock and grief of what has happened rendering her literally speechless. The brother she once loved and adored above all others is now her enemy, especially when she learns of her mae's and Khyl's secret longstanding plan to transfer the Sword into her against her will if it looked like the demon was getting too close. As they travel steadily south away from the main invasion, Khyri withdraws into herself completely, and her family is left with a shell. That is, until she is 'pulled' inexplicably towards a decimated city where, under a pile of rubble, she finds the near dead figure of Ren dei Pal'din. His entire race (the Abronisi) was decimated by Drakoor's forces, and his parents, the king and queen of the realm of