The long struggle is over at last. The demon dactyl is no more, its dark sorceries shattered by the gemstone magic wielded by the woman known as Pony. But victory did not come easily. Many lives were lost, including Pony's lover, the elf-trained ranger Elbryan Wynden.

Yet despite the dactyl's demise, the kingdom still seethes in the same cauldron of plots and machinations. Was it for this, Pony wonders, that her beloved gave his life? Assailed by grief and doubt, Pony retreats to the northern lands where she and Elbryan once shared their brief happiness. There, among old friends, her wounded spirit can begin to heal.

Then a deadly sickness appears suddenly among the people of Corona. Only Pony, with her supreme magical abilities, can heal the victims . . . or so she believes. But the plague resists her as if possessed of a malevolent strength and intelligence all its own.