Nualavera was at odds with the rest of the country. The ruling house held back the Kerhasi from invasion across an ocean—the peaceful continent of the Suiaghana. The Suighan have rich lands, are peaceful, resourceful people. The Kerhasi see them as ripe for invasion, hate their freedoms, and assume they can take over.
Cartira, the eldest son of the Soterios-Sousan house-clan, is threatened by his brother's influence and rising reputation after returning the objects of power. He cannot have an heir for he is sterile—gored tragically by a bered in the waters off their city shores when he was young.
The Soterios-Sousan house-clan in power, the Kerhasi may not run the majority to win debate over war and self-interests in the Craig—the governing house of rule for the Birutise'aha, where all decisions for house-clans are made together. The Kerhasi, a group of old house-clans that have since blocked-off from the rest of the Craig, like to serve themselves first…but the Sousan-Soterios prefer peace over war, tranquility over tyranny…The Sousan-Soterios were of the original founders of the Craig built in Nuru for all the house-clans to send their representatives and vote together on decisions for the whole of the continent's interests. It was their longstanding legacy of fairness, tolerance, jurisprudence, leadership, and warriors that has governed the rest of the Craig's membership through good and hard times. Now that resources dwindle, the Kerhasi encourage the Craig to look to exports from overseas, but at their control of it, which means fighting the Suighan to take what is theirs and sell back to the countries of the Birutise'aha's alliance…
They were invited to see Casnar's homelands. Casnar wants Braith to be enticed into finally accepting his hand when she visits with Kasumi Goto. He loves her, cannot think over her, and knows her heart is similar to his own. They are warriors, and both slaves to each other's skins.
…But someone does not want Braith and Casnar to meet. Someone does not want Braith and Casnar to bring a new future to Nualavera, to make it stronger with what Braith possesses in her genes. Someone is threatened by what that marriage will bring to the Birutise'aha, and to Rakhana. Braith is biotic, immortal, and she has a flair for war and peace.
Rakhana—beautiful, dangerous, mythical, and alive…as mysterious, too, as its many peoples...Drellkind is not alone in not wanting interference from the outside…They have been safe in their own chaos for years, even with the Kahje's Compact with some of seventy-five thousand families over the planet's surface. Rakhana is hard to let go, because what leaves always returns. It is The Keep, and once the soul wraps with its history, it will never be freed.