Lean, ghostly pale, and permanently grim-faced, Kriss has always been an outsider in his small village. He''s a war orphan, torn from his true father -- King Erikk Iron Tooth of Darkovia in the far north. When his only friend, Anja, loses her mother to a wild sabercat ravaging the village, Kriss determines to bring it down. But the creature is no mere animal. It has come down from the north with a gift for Kriss -- one that could make his wildest dreams come true.