Synopsis: From the flaps of the DAW first edition: "This first novel in a magnificent new fantasy series draws from the rich legends, cultures, and traditions of the East to create an epic tale of kingdoms invaded, nobles enslaved, a young man's desperate quest to find the family snatched from him by war, and his determination to face the challenge of a destiny which may be beyond any mortal's power to fulfill... Llesho was only seven when the Harn invaded his family's mountain kingdom of Thebin. His guards slaughtered before his eyes, he was carried off an and sold into slavery on Pearl Island, as far as he knew the sole survivor of his royal family. As with most young Thebin captives, he was trained as a pearl diver, a life with which he had to be content, for as he had been told time and again there was no escaping Pearl Island. When Llesho was ten, the old man called Lleck appeared on the island and secretly began to undertake the boy's education. Everyone assumed Lleck was his real father, and Llesho never revealed the old scholar's true identity as a trusted adviser to the former king of Thebin. But at fifteen Llesho's story was forever changed. For Lleck's spirit, released by death, visited the boy while he worked the pearl beds in the ocean depths and revealed his true identity to him. All six of his older brothers were still alive, thought each, it was rumored, had been sold into slavery in distant lands. Llesho must win his freedom, find and rescue his brothers, and with their help raise an army against the evil Harn, reclaiming his homeland from these seemingly undefeatable conquerors. However, the only way a pearl diver ever found freedom was in death, and so Llesho did the unthinkable. He petitioned his lord to be trained as a gladiator, thus taking the first step on a road that would lead to conflict with sorcerers, encounters with the avatars of gods, and a dangerous journey in search of the widely scattered family he had never expected to see again..."