The formidable sorceress Nicci and her companions-the newly powerless Nathan and the youthful Bannon-set out on another quest after driving ruthless Norukai slavers out of Renda Bay. Their mission: restore Nathan's magic and, for Nicci, save the world. Guided by the witch-woman Red''s mysterious prophecy, the trio makes their way south of Kol Adair towards a wondrous city shrouded behind time, Ildakar. But the grotesque omens on their path to Nathan's salvation-severed Norukai heads on pikes, a genetically modified monster, and a petrified army of half a million-are just a taste of the unimaginable horrors that await within the Shroud of Eternity.