'the ajya-na-ku are coming, and should this rock fall the dragons will also turn, and this time the mighty rydren empire won't be there to stop them...' glider's words, as he guards the cathedral-like rock of kumbran, enclosing the dormant cour-vu-du, are full of dread for juran and his expedition to map the terrain of markesh. does their trek into the unknown follow a straightforward plan, or could it be part of some deeper strategy? something about one of the team, idron the half-breed, isn't quite right... then, when matrosse falls, kumbran is threatened by the forces of evil. in the final showdown, alliances between humans, elves, dwarves and dragons are stretched to the limit. can they keep the demonic black owls at bay, and battle the sleeping terror in the rock? find out in paul tonks' magically woven saga of treachery, shapeshift and darkness, courage, cunning and light, in the mapping of markesh.