When the Goddess Ithyris appoints shy priestess Kadrian to become Her first shaa'din, or holy warrior, in a millennium, everyone is mystified by Her decision--especially Kade herself. On the battlefields of Mondera, as Kade struggles to defend Ithyria from a dangerous new enemy, she's also brought face-to-face with her greatest personal temptation: the childhood sweetheart who had once nearly kept Kade from her spiritual calling.