Seven years have passed since Mordecai's battle with the Shining God, Celior. His increasing control of his abilities has enabled him to help forge a brighter future for both his family and the people of Lothion, but dark things still walk in the shadows, whispering terrible secrets in his heart. The gods want vengeance for his transgressions against them, and an ancient curse still looms over him. Unless Mordecai can discover the meaning of 'Illeniel's Doom, ' his family, his nation, and possibly humanity itself, may be forced to pay for the sins of the past. Alone, he struggles to control a dark new magic, seeking to find a way to turn it against the gods, both light and dark, who want nothing better than to tear down everything he has built. Rejected by all, he must master evil; to win, he must transform his own damnation into mankind's salvation.