On the night of the new moon, the demons rise in force, seeking the deaths of two men, both of whom have the potential to become the fabled Deliverer, the man prophesied to reunite the scattered remnants of humanity in a final push to destroy the demon corelings once and for all.

Arlen Bales was once an ordinary man, but now he has become something more — the Warded Man, tattooed with eldritch wards so powerful they make him a match for any demon. Arlen denies he is the Deliverer at every turn, but the more he tries to be one with the common folk, the more fervently they believe. Many would follow him, but Arlen’s path threatens to lead him to a dark place he alone can travel to, and from which there may be no returning.

The only one with hope of keeping Arlen in the world of men, or joining him in his descent into the world of demons, is Renna Tanner, a fierce young woman in danger of losing herself to the power of demon magic.

Ahmann Jardir has forged the warlike desert tribes of Krasia into a demon-killing army and proclaimed himself Shar’Dama Ka, the Deliverer. He carries ancient weapons — a spear and a crown — that give credence to his claim, and already vast swaths of the green lands bow to his control.

But Jardir did not come to power on his own. His rise was engineered by his First Wife, Inevera, a cunning and powerful priestess whose formidable demon bone magic gives her the ability to glimpse the future. Inevera’s motives and past are shrouded in mystery, and even Jardir does not entirely trust her.

Once Arlen and Jardir were as close as brothers. Now they are the bitterest of rivals. As humanity’s enemies rise, the only two men capable of defeating them are divided against each other by the most deadly demons of all — those lurking in the human heart.

Narrators:

Alyssa Wilmoth, Barbara Pinolini, Bradley Smith,Casie Platt, Christopher Graybill, Christopher Scheeren, Colleen Delany, Danny Gavigan, David Coyne, David Jourdan, Dylan Lynch, Eric Messner, Eva Wilhelm, Joe Brack, Johann Dettweiler, Julie-Ann Elliott, Katy Carkuff, Ken Jackson, Kimberly Gilbert, Lily Beacon, Margie Tompros, Michael Glenn, Michael John Casey, Mort Shelby, Nanette Savard, Nathanial Perry, Nick DePinto, Nora Achrati, Ren Kasey, Richard Rohan, Scott McCormick, Steven Carpenter, Terence Aselford, Thomas Keegan, Thomas Penny, Yasmin Tuazon