The Runestaff held all the secrets of the barren earth and the destiny of Dorian Hawkmoon, Duke of Koln, warrior, swordsman, adventurer. But how much contradictory power was contained in the Black Jewel? Dorian came to with the evil black gem embedded in his skull. It felt warm, pulsing. Then he discovered the terrible truth. The jewel itself was an eye through which his enemies, the forces of the Dark Empire, could see everything he saw - all the places he travelled, all the people he encountered. And if he refused to carry out their plan to overcome Granbretan, the Black Jewel could be made to come alive and eat Dorian Hawkmoon's brain.

The innocent: she was just twelve years old, naive, untouched, possessed of a pure, childish beauty. Caught in a web of paralysing fear, she was the perfect victim for the white spider. Once, it had been a man. Now the evil had taken a loathsome new form, with an overwhelming desire for sweet young flesh. Its pursuit was silent, its bite was deadly, its embrace was forever.......