[1] The first chapter of this book finds Alanna, Faithful, and Coram on a quest for the 'Dominion Jewel', which grants immense psychokinetic power to any monarch who owns it.

She casts a spell on the group to keep them asleep and then ascends to the pass, where she undergoes a grueling physical trial to acquire the Jewel from its immortal guardian, Chitral.

On the eve of the Coronation, Tortall's Great Mother Goddess warns Alanna that the ceremony will be a "crossroad in time", decisive of the realm's future.

In the prolonged battle, Thom dies, drained of his life by Roger's magic, Alanna kills Alex in a duel, and Claw is slain by George.

Later, Alanna returns to the Bazhir (a Bedouin-like ethnicity of Tortall's southern desert) to recover from her losses, while Delia is sentenced to life imprisonment.