The silhouette of a man on horseback stood on the knoll against the brilliant backdrop of the lightning, a man with flowing long hair and a large cape that flapped wildly in the wind. Apparently, King Idan had also seen the horse rider, for he pulled on the reins and halted the horse's advance. Leaning back against his father, Ari remained still and peered ahead into the gloom, his heart beating with apprehension. At the age of six, Prince Ari witnessed his father's assassination. Five years later, he continues to have recurring nightmares about the tragedy. Although he's still heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Dinan, Ari's life since King Idan's death has been full of loneliness and misery. His uncle, Lord Peran, harbors no love for him, and his cousin, Roi, hates him. Ari blames his misery on his father's assassin, Black Wolf, a legendary swordsman from the Empire of Narsus whose faceless, shadowy figure haunts Ari's dreams. But Black Wolf's name inspires great fear and deep fascination in Ari. A few days after his eleventh birthday, Ari embarks on a perilous journey to Narsus in search of Black Wolf. What he finds at the end of the journey changes his life forever.