Kurt Sonderfeld: a man who will stop at nothing in his pursuit of power, a manipulator who will use even sorcery and murder to achieve his goals. Gerda: Sonderfeld's beautiful wife, who has seen how implacably ruthless he can be. Kumo: the powerful young villager who knows the ancient ways of killing by sorcery. Curtis: the young Patrol Officer faced with an unsolved murder and tribal unrest.