Swords of Defiance — Robert Ryan

Shar, the emperor-to-be of prophecy, raises an army against the shamans who enslave the land. But the shamans fight back...Her trust betrayed by a friend, Shar is abducted. Even if she escapes, time is against her. The shamans gather an army of their own, and unless they are checked swiftly no force will stop them. Bound and humiliated, she yet vows to return to her army. But escape is impossible.The army she formed will fall apart without her, and the rebellion against the iron rule of the shamans will collapse before it begins. Yet like a sword fashioned of fired steel, glowing hot and beaten into shape, she is forged by destiny to fulfill her purpose. Or die. But far away an old man, wreathed in mystery, implacable in hatred, unchecked in ambition, draws his own plans against shamans and Shar alike. And he cares nothing if he destroys the world to fulfill them...