Synopsis
<strong>From the flaps of the DAW first edition:</strong> "... <i>The Return of Nightfall</i>, a spellbinding new odyssey that will sweep readers along from the high courts to the darkest dungeons, from piracy and derring-do at sea to sorcerous encounters and cutthroat attacks in enemy territory.
<p>He has been known by countless names and terrifying deeds throughout the lands of mankind - thief, magic wielder, swordsman, assassin, adventurer. But chief among those names and perhaps the most dangerous of his personae is that of Nightfall, a man - or perhaps the legendary demon himself - gifted with a unique power that any sorcerer would kill to possess.
<p>Though Nightfall has always escaped his pursuers by moving on to new realms, new identities, and new enterprises, even the cleverest of beings must occasionally slip. And when this master of the night falls prey to a royal trap, it changes the entire course of his life. Bound first by sorcery and oath to guard and guide a young prince on his quest - and later by trust and friendship - Nightfall is forced to reveal his true name, Sudian, and to use every trick and talent at his command to keep both himself and his idealistic young charge alive.
<p>And when Prince Edward takes on the burdens of kingship, he shares those burdens by making Sudian his adviser. But adviser or not, Sudian cannot dissuade King Edward from the journey they are now undertaking. For Edward feels he owes a debt of honor to Duke Varsah, even though Sudian has in the past be forced to rescue him from imprisonment in the duke's court. That Sudian is right to argue against this diplomatic mission is proved when, with the adviser briefly away on a mission of his own, the inn where the party is staying is attacked, all of Edward's guards are slain, and the king himself vanishes without a trace. Suddenly Sudian has no choice but to turn to Duke Varsah for aid. But is he putting himself into the hands of the very man responsible for Edward's disappearance, a man whose greatest desire is vengeance against Sudian himself?"
