The members of the Hydaera have been the shadow protectors of the Xhen Empire for millennia. When Arch Magus Esfalon discovers treachery on the war-torn world of Celstus III, he will need to use all of his considerable skills to uncover a vast conspiracy that threatens the survival of the empire - and could cost him his life...From the author of the Jalahai Saga comes the first volume in a new science fiction epic.