With the help of a mysterious recluse named Amadis, Talanah has set out to end the threat of the new strain of hunter-killer machine – a Clawstrider. As they tracked it, an old enemy got in the way. Kyran, a rogue Lodge member arrived without permission to seek its reward. The hunter-killer ambushed Kyran and his cronies atop a cliff. When Talanah and Amadis managed to force the machine over the edge, Kyran ought to have been grateful. But now the greedy hunter has a new prize in mind.