<p>Humans and elves, dwarves and gnomes, wizards and warriors all live and do business in the thriving, overcrowded port city of Cliff&rsquo;s End, to say nothing of the tourists and travellers who arrive by land and sea, passing through the metropolis on matters of business or pleasure&mdash;or on quests. The hard-working, under-appreciated officers of the Cliff&rsquo;s End Castle Guard work day and night to maintain law and order as best they can.</p><p>Gan Brightblade is one of the world&rsquo;s greatest heroes and a personal friend of the Lord and Lady of Cliff&rsquo;s End. So when he&rsquo;s brutally murdered in grubby lodgings in Dragon Precinct, on the eve of a great quest, the Captain of the Guard puts his two best investigators on the case. The half-elf Danthres Tresyllione and ex-soldier Torin ban Wyvald soon discover that the crime scene is empty of any forensic evidence&mdash;physical or magickal. They have no clues, and heat is on.</p><p>The Lord and Lady want their friend&rsquo;s murder solved&mdash;now. The populace is mourning the loss of a great hero. The ever-unhelpful Brotherhood of Wizards could take over the case at any minute. And then another member of Brightblade&rsquo;s party turns up dead&hellip;.</p>