A Five Kingdoms Novel Longing to find others like himself, Zurkin sets out from his family's small farm and journeys to Mountain Home, a school for Contrary youth and the seat of the powerful Brotherhood of Contrary warriors. Along the way, he rescues a Feyborn Brother, Lord Tai, from a wicked Grimmord. But that isn't the last Zurkin will see of the monstrous Grimmord race. At Mountain Home, Zurkin trains under the masters, including the strong and handsome Brother Yenoh, who teaches him hand-to-hand combat—and the meaning of love. But while he trains, the Grimmords in the north prepare to invade. Only the Brotherhood stands in the way. If they cannot stop the Grimmords, the creatures will sweep through the Five Kingdoms, leaving destruction in their wake. Zurkin discovers he is a sorcerer in the wild—an untrained mage with unimaginable power—and he struggles desperately to harness this strange gift. But with the dreaded Grimmord Emperor and his savage army advancing, Zurkin is running out of time. Worse, this strange gift may destroy the ones he loves, especially Brother Yenoh, the one he loves the most.