Nagaro has accepted a commission in the Royal Fleet of Edrovir. He hopes to help Kuran, the Lord of the Fleet, avoid sinking Mahuk warships by forcing their surrender - to free the galley slaves instead of killing them. He soon renews his friendship with Princess Nevien and runs afoul of Lothard Hurn, Edrovir's greatest swordsman. But when he tries his hand at international diplomacy, lives are at stake including his own and that of his Mahuk-born friend Pavo.