The Emperor of Estorea is young and idealistic. The Empire he has inherited has never been more powerful, never been so large. He believes he can bring in a golden age. But his armies are stretched thin, the border provinces are reluctant to pay homage and, even in his own court, dissent and betrayal is in the air. And into this troubled world four children are born. They are the result of centuries of careful study and selective breeding. They are completely at one with the world, they can sense the elements, they can use them. They have magic at their fingertips. A world that has not known magic is about to discover its wonder and its terror. And an Empire is about to fall. No epic fantasy has dealt with the arrival of magic into a previously non-magical world. James Barclay, with his particular gift for characterisation and vivid description of both magic and action is the ideal author to tell this story for the first time. This is a breakthrough fantasy from one of the UK's most exciting talents.