A Locus selection for Best First Fantasy Novel: The tale of a healer who must wield a sword to protect her people . . .
 
War has its cost, and the Servants of the Bright Heart and the Servants of the Dark Heart have been locked in a struggle that has defined life€"and death€"for millennia. But the end is coming, and only the Lady who has served the Bright Heart for the whole of her immortal life has seen it, in a vision that spans time and demands the highest of prices.
 
Erin is a healer, and against the nature of her birthright she has learned to wield a sword and use it to bring death to the enemies of her people. Scarred by the losses that war always demands, she is the chosen champion of Light and the enemy of darkness.
 
But no magical sword or simple quest awaits Erin. Her journey and her doom lie in the Dark Heart€s stronghold, and in the hands of her people€s greatest enemy.