The curse that made Lord Hugh of Stasiek the most dangerous man in the empire also destroyed his will to live. He now yearns for nothing more than dissolution, to lose himself in strong wine, reckless gambling, and in the arms of countless beautiful women. Yet when the call comes from the one man he cannot disobey - his elder brother, the duke - he puts aside his dreams of death and rides forth to secure the fate of a seemingly insignificant border...