Synopsis: New Albin had proved the last refuge for those loyal to the royal line of Obelen when the peasant rebellion, led by the Chamber of Statesmen, overthrew the King of Albin. And thanks to the Chamber's courts of justice, the largely unexplored continent soon became the gathering place for all the malcontents, surviving Royalists, religious dissidents, and criminals who might otherwise have disrupted the peace of Albin. Still, Lord Marshall Sir Andrew and his allies had not only survived the perils of this untamed land but had actually prospered. But now unrest was growing in the motherland, and two pretenders to the throne were seeking support for military strikes of their own. Sworn to defend the Obelen line, would Andrew be forced to spearhead a desperate, ill-timed rebellion in an attempt to place Oriana, the last of the true royal blood, back on the throne of Albin? And what chance did he have of succeeding when the Chamber was readying a secret weapon to strike at the heart of New Albin - and someone seemed bent on assassinating both the Lord Marshall and his most precious charge? (from the back cover of the DAW Books first edition)