Prologue

In her endeavour to end the Endless War that had raged between her kingdom and the Cotti for more than seven centuries, Queen Minna-Satu, ruler of the Jashimari, heeded the advice of Shamsara, Idol of the Beasts, who said that when a child who was neither Jashimari nor Cotti sat upon the Jashimari throne, there would be peace. After scores of her soldiers failed the task, Minna-Satu sent an assassin to slay the Cotti King and bring his son to her, alive. Blade succeeded, and thus the Master of the Dance in Jondar became the Queen's Blade.

As soon as she was certain that she bore his child, Minna-Satu sent Kerrion back to his desert kingdom. Before the Princess was born, however, the kingdom of Contara invaded Jashimari, which, weakened by war, could not prevail against two foes. When the Cotti King reached Jondar, Minna-Satu took the Queen's Cup, a painless poison, to make Kerrion's daughter the Jashimari Queen and save her people. Kerrion, however, went to Shamsara and got the antidote for the Queen's Cup. He honoured his daughter's heritage and drove out the Contara, then gave Minna-Satu and Blade the antidote and took them to Cotti.

The elder Jashimari Queen was in grave danger in Jadaya, and the King needed Blade's skills to keep her safe. The assassin's hatred of the Cotti, however, ensured that he was not a willing cohort in that endeavour. Kerrion imprisoned him, but Minna-Satu persuaded Blade to obey her, and he slew several princes at her behest. The Cotti King found Blade’s only surviving sibling, his older sister, but a prince murdered her. Blade returned to Jondar and retired, moving to his estate. Prince Armin tracked him down and tried to force him to claim Kerrion as his employer before judges, thereby condemning Kerrion and Minna-Satu. Blade refuses, even though his is tortured, and Chiana sends soldiers to free him.

At the palace, Blade foiled Armin’s attempt to kill the infant Queen, but was mortally wounded himself. Shamsara rushed to save him, claiming that Blade’s destiny was not yet fulfilled, and if he died, the streets of Jondar would one day run with blood. In order to heal Blade, Shamsara gave him many years of his life. Furious, Blade vanished for fifteen years.

Then, Prince Trelath and Endor kidnapped Minna-Satu and tried to force Kerrion to allow Endor to rule Jashimari, but Blade took Queen Kerra into hiding and, after striking a bargain with Shamsara for the rebirth of his familiar, journeyed into the desert and found Minna-Satu, returning her to Kerrion in Jadaya.