First in 'The Sovereign Stone' trilogy.

Gareth is just a frightened young lad when he is drafted in to be the whipping-boy for the unruly Prince Dagnarus. Desperately shy, his face disfigured by an angry birthmark, Gareth finds security in the ruthlessly ambitious prince's shadow. Yet as they grow to be men, an unshakeable bond is formed. And it is their destiny for them to become the two most powerful - and feared - men in the kingdom.

The human kingdom of Vinnegael lies in the heart of a land webbed with magical tunnels which shorten the vast distances between nations. But resentment is growing among the Elves, Dwarves and Orken, for the axis lies in Vinnegael, and only from its human subjects do the gods appoint Dominion lords, magical knights bound to protect the tunnels from invasion.

Desperate to avert war, Dagnarus' father, King Tamaros, turns to the gods for guidance and is rewarded with the Sovereign Stone, a magic crystal which once divided into four allows the other races to create their own Dominion Lords.

But when Dagnarus decides to become a knight himself, he begins a chain of evil events that threaten to destroy the entire kingdom. Only by uniting the Sovereign Stone can peace be restored, and it is up to Dagnarus' brother Helmos to try to achieve this impossible task, using his father's soldiers against his brother's army.

All the while, Gareth is gaining mastery over the sinister Void magic, and he is devoted to helping his childhood companion.