On the run from a death sentence. Forced to hide among violent barbarians. Vacen Horsetrader is hounded by enemies that want his head. Raised in the nviolent Consortium Lands, he faces Daggers, Diplomacy, and Deceit both at home and in exile. His crime? Determination to uphold the Oath that the mages of the Consortium hold sacred. Now, he must rely on his friends to survive, in the hopes of eventually returning home again.