Arenadd Taranisäii, infamous leader of the Northern people, has vanished. Only his half-breed daughter Laela knows what happened to him. Left to rule her father's Kingdom, Laela is all that stands in the way of the war her cousin Saeddryn wants to declare. But Laela faces a far more dangerous enemy: the Night God herself wants Laela dead. Faced by enemies on all sides, Laela must learn to rule, and survive, with her griffin partner Oeka by her side. As allies come from unexpected places, someone new will enter Laela's life: the mysterious shapeshifter Kullervo. But soon the Night God will send the most dangerous enemy of all--the deadly Shadow That Walks, an invincible murderer created to fulfill only one mission: kill Laela.