Fear and anger have seeped into the very bones of the western mountains. No one knows the source of the poison, but all can see the flashing steel and searing flame that come in its wake. Will rivals overcome centuries of hate to become allies? Will a riddle nearly two thousand years old reveal the means of saving Shijuren? Or will the swords of good men taste the blood of those they should protect? The rulers of the western realms are right to worry...