The Engine of Creation, a machine of tremendous power at the heart of the albiz people's rebuilt mountain-city, lies dormant. Should the last reserves of its power expire, the city will become uninhabitable. Meanwhile, rumors abound that the ogres to the north and the humans to the southwest are preparing for war against the very place they helped defend two years earlier-the dragon city of Olkelban. Only the undead Finton, possessed of powerful magic as a byproduct of his resurrection by the mad magus Deowyn, can relight the Engine-if he can locate a long-lost device from the days of Alour-Tan and bring it to the mountain-city before the Engine's reserves expire. But with the last Dragon Lord of Olkelban missing, Finton's journey could leave Olkelban defenseless...