Synopsis: From the back cover of the Tor first edition: Jerrode Eusabian, Avator of Dol, sits uneasy on the Emerald Throne of the Thousand Suns, while Brandon vlith-Arkad, rightful heir to the throne, is harried across space. Brandon was meant to die, along with his two older brothers. But he escaped by merest chance - now he is the only hope for the restoration of the Phoenix Empire and the salvation of the people they once ruled. Brandon and his allies, the crew of the ship Telvarna, must flee from peril to peril in search of the one haven no Rifter would ever willingly seek: Ares Station, heart of the Empire's military power. And across the unthinkable reaches of space, the scattered Fleet of the Thousand Suns is slowly learning that their Emperor has been taken, and their home worlds sacked.