*New York Times* best-selling author Troy Denning pens the 2nd novel in the Empires Trilogy, a saga set in the land of Kara-Tur within the Forgotten Realms. The barbarbarian horde has breached the ancient Dragonwall and now threatens the oriental land of Shou Lung. Powerful as they are, the Shou army’s only hope lies with Batu Min Ho, a young general who is himself a third generation descendant of Tuigan barbarians. But Batu’s wife must fight her own battle in the treacherous political terrain of the imperial court, as a psy attempts to undermine the empreror’s confidence in her husband. And if Batu is to retain his command and save Shou Lung, it is a battle she must not lose.