Mervyn, wizard and Fluxlord, leader of the Nine Who Guard, faces the ultimate threat of the opposing Seven Who Wait: the opening of the Hellgates to World. Closed more than two thousand years ago, they are portals to unknowable danger and, perhaps, great power. Mervyn must gather the shattered forces of guardianship, dispersed and reeling after the battle with Coydt: Cassie, once the powerful saint and crusader, now the brainwashed slave of an oppressive male dictatorship. Spirit, her daughter, controlled by her mysterious Soul Raider. Jeff, Spirit's son Matson: he will lead the entire force of the Stringers Guild to war, if need be. But all of them are doomed to death unless they can become Masters of Flux and Anchor.