Kull of Atlantis, once a slave and a pirate, has seized the throne of fabled Valusia. But his reign is not an easy one. Jealous nobles and scheming priests plot against the new king, and Kull can trust no one--except, perhaps, the beautiful fortune-teller Zareta.

Kull's enemies will go to any lengths to overthrow him, even reviving an ancient sorceress who has been dead for three thousand years. Alivasha, witch-queen of lost Acheron, uses her unholy magic to seduce and betray Kull. Now he must fulfill a cryptic prophecy to defeat the forces of drakness--and reclaim his crown.