Born without magic, Joram was one of the Dead, denied the throne of Merilon. For years, he lived  among outlaws, surviving by wit and  sleight-of-hand. Now, wielding the powerful, magic absorbing  Darksword, Joram retums to the enchanted Kingdom that  once was his home to win revenge and claim his  birthright. Here he will test Bishop Vanya and his  fierce army of Duuk-tsarith in a battle unlike any  their world has known. Joined by the scholarly catalyst Saryon, the young mage Mosiah, and the  trickster Simkin, Jorma confronts the shattering  secret of his past and discovers the ancient prophecy  that puts the fate of the world in his hands--the hands that forged the Darksword.