In the land of Cymria, humans and griffins rule side by side. To be a griffiner - the human companion and ambassador to a griffin - is to have both status and dangerous responsibility. Arren Cardockson is a despised Northener. By freak chance, he became a griffiner, but when his griffin dies Arren's life spirals out of control.

In the land of Cymria, humans and griffins rule side by side. To be a griffiner - the human companion and ambassador to a griffin - is to have both status and dangerous responsibility. Arren Cardockson is a despised Northener, a people conquered and enslaved centuries ago. By freak chance, Arren became a griffiner, but many resent and fear his existence. When his griffin dies during an attempt to catch a wild griffin, Arren's life spirals out of control. Meanwhile, chained in a cage behind the fighting Arena where rogue griffins entertain the crowds, the mysterious black griffin dreams of escape. When Arren is sent to the Arena, his meeting with the renegade griffin sets his life on an inexorable path of murder, conflict - and an encounter with his past. Inevitability and chance may both play a part.