Book excerpt: The Castle of Man, a huge towering castle that straddles an important mountain pass to the north of Tagaret, is besieged by ogres, goblins, yakis, and dark sorcerers. If it falls, the armies of the Dark One will descend on Tagaret to end the Ancient Prophecy. Far to the south of Tagaret, Emperor Hanchi and his hundred-thousand man army is moving northward, destroying everything in its path. Caught in the middle are King Arik and his Alceans. As King Arik struggles to find the Dragons' Onyx and restore it to the Sword of Heavens, his small band of heroes must battle against these two huge armies to save Tagaret from destruction. Meanwhile, Master Khatama is gathering a mysterious group of master magicians that appears bent on threatening the Ancient Prophecy. The stakes in the war of good versus evil have never been higher. The fate of the world rests in the hands of a small group of warriors known as the Knights of Alcea.