Tarius, the daughter of a great warrior, is determined to avenge the death of her parents, despite her country's archaic rules of the place of women, or her breaking down those rules - especially the one that says women can't wield steel.

Even though Tarius leads the Jethrik armies to victory after victory against the maniacal Amalites, and saves the kings life twice, she knows this will not stop his wrath when he learns fully the truth behind Tarius and her skilled sword play.

Selina Rosen's novels include Queen of Denial, Recycled, Chains of Freedom, Chains of Destruction, and Strange Robby, as well as The Host trilogy: Fire & Ice, Hammer Town and Reruns, and two novellas, The Boatman and Material Things. Her critically acclaimed story entitled "Ritual Evolution" appeared in the first of the new Thieves World anthologies, Turning Points, and her second TW story, "Gathering Strength", appeared in the new TW anthology, Enemies of Fortune.