Synopsis: From the back cover of the DAW first edition: "For Delia or death! Dray Prescot had fought long and hard through perilous lands to claim the hand of the heiress of mighty Vallia. Yet, then finally he set foot in that long-cought empire, it was not as hero or noble... it was as an unknown, a mendicant, and finally as a condemned slave. For the combatant fates that had interfered continually with his quest on the planet of the twin suns of Antares had yet more tests for the man they had selected as their agent. But for Dray there could be but one goal - already in sight - and he would not be turned aside any longer no matter what dangers Vallian intrigues and quasi-human mysteries might have in store for him. This, the fifth novel of Alan Burt Akers enthusiastically acclaimed series, is fully illustrated and contains a special bonus in the form of maps and a glossary."