Darkness comes in many forms. Raelyn is about to encounter them all. Beyond the Alnok Barrens, hidden in the shadows of the Schade Catacombs, a single portal remains. Pushed to near defeat, Cosyn has unleashed all his forces, taking Earth to the brink of war. The Cord is torn apart, and Raelyn strikes out on her own, determined to reach the catacombs and close the portal with or without them. In the far north, her mentor and guide Kade, wounded and desperate, leads a band of soldiers, also on a path to the catacombs. Raelyn and the Cord must locate and destroy Cosyn's last link to Earth or they will lose everything they love forever.