A slave boy named Darik falls in with a pair of spies as the great city of Balsalom comes under siege by the armies of a dark wizard. They flee west to enlist the aid of griffin riders, an order of wizards, and a band of ascetic knights to come to the city's defense. Meanwhile, a young queen named Kallia leads a heroic struggle to keep both her city and body free from the dark wizard's cruel embrace. The first book of a new epic fantasy series by top 20 Amazon bestselling author Michael Wallace, The Dark Citadel combines a rich fantasy world with page-turning plot and flawed, heroic characters.