Summary

Bound once by guilt to the Seer Dionysos for refusing to save his mother from being sacrificed to the king of the Dead, bound twice by hatred for her father, who intends to reduce her to a near-mindless automatum, bound thrice by love to Kabeiros, who is trapped in the form of a blind, black dog outside of the Caves of the Dead, Hekate has little choice but to master sorcery. If she cannot free herself of her bindings, she will die. But will her ability to wield magic so anger the gods of Olympus that they will cast her out?

A TERRIFIED DAUGHTER
Hekate helplessly watches her mother being drained of spirit and magical talent until she is nothing, a cipher who does not seem even to recognize her daughter. Fortunately Asterie taught Hekate all she knew about creating spells before she is rendered null. Both mother and daughter know that Perses, Hekate's father and Asterie's husband, is evil to the core, but neither of them alone or even together can match his power. Hekate conceals her skill and her own power and trades obedience for safety- -but it is not enough. Soon she must flee, with her father's demon on her heels. Can Hekate grow strong enough to save herself and avenge her mother?

THE EVIL MAGICIAN
Perses's power in sorcery is unrivaled, but that is not enough to satisfy him. The next step is to rule one realm, then another, and another, to gain access to enormous wealth and an unending stream of victims whose painful deaths will supply him with life force. Then blood magic will make him strong enough to transfer his mind and spirit to a new young body—and live forever. Thus he summons Hekate and tells her she must murder the Queen of Byblos and marry the King. Then through her, Perses will control the King and through him the entire city of Byblos.

THE BLACK DOG

In the Caves of the Dead Kabeiros can live as a man, free of the curse that turns him into a blind, black dog in the outer world. But living alone in the dark caves year after endless year drives Kabeiros to offer shelter to the old crone who calls herself Hekate and says her father is pursuing her with sorcerous evil. Kabeiros does not believe so ancient a woman could have a living father who was threatening her, but he will ignore her lies for the sake of companionship. He does not realize he has called truth a lie and that the lie he sees when stripped away to the truth will be more dangerous to him than the sorceries of Perses.