When Flint Fireforge, dwarf and metalsmith, receives a wondrous summons from the Speaker of the Sun, he journeys to the fabled elven city of Qualinost. There he meets Tanis, a thoughtful youth born of a tragic union between elf and man. Tanis and Flint, each a misfit in his own way, find themselves unlikely friends. But a pompous elf lord is mysteriously slain, and another elf soon meets the same fate. Tanis stands accused, and if Flint and he cannot prove his innocence, the half-elf will be banished forever. Solving the mystery will be a perilous task. Time is one the murderer's side, and he is not finished yet….