The last thing Lukas Bessarion wants is to warn the crusaders...yet if he refuses, a bloodthirsty demon will seize power. Syria, 1098: After a gruelling siege, the crusaders finally capture Antioch-but within days, the besiegers become the besieged. Clawing for survival in a doomed city, the Franks turn to a new power for help: the mad prophet, Peter Bartholomew. Plagued by his own unwanted visions, Lukas Bessarion knows the vicious Bartholomew is controlled by the demon Lilith, now growing in power. But none of the Franks-from naïve ladies to murderous counts and princes obsessed with political rivalry-seem worth saving. Worse, if Lukas accepts his destiny as a prophet, he'll need to renounce earthly power-like his father's enchanted lance, hidden beneath Antioch. With the Lance, he hopes to avenge his beloved Ayla and lead his own people to victory. But Lukas isn't the only one who wants the Lance. Lilith's thirst for blood is insatiable. And to satisfy it, she will stop at nothing to gain control of Lukas, the Lance, and the entire crusade...