The vampiric sorcerer Uctebri has at last got his hands on the Shadow Box and can finally begin his dark ritual, a ritual that the Wasp kinden Emperor believes will grant him immortality, but Uctebri has his own plans both for the Emperor and the Empire. The massed Wasp armies are on the march, and the spymaster Stenwold must see which of his allies will stand now that the war has finally arrived.