Five hundred years of war have just come to a bloody end in one great catastrophic blast. Who won? Taurok is not sure. It was not the loyal Royalists—they are all dead except for a few stragglers like himself. Not the Rebels, surely. Their casualties were just as great. Too stubborn to die, the giant Zendalian is hunted relentlessly through the ruins of the once great city when he stumbles upon a dying Royalist soldier. Mortally wounded, Taurok settles beside him to sing the death song that will take them both across the Veil to the halls of the Gods of War. But the dying boy has other ideas. He is a she and she is Ancellian, which makes her the last Queen of the Crimson Eyrie. This changes everything. Fierce are the people of Zenal but none are fiercer than the Ancellians. Red Moon is her name. The people of Zenal have served the Royal household for ten thousand years. Lying next to her in the dark, Taurok pledges his allegiance to this tiny queen, knowing that if she lives she will destroy everyone who has ever transgressed against her kind. Hope fills Taurok's heart as he dreams of getting his revenge for the death of everyone he has ever loved. All he has to do is keep her alive.