With Ghek’s cunning and Turan’s courage, the companions search for a way out through Manator’s prisons and hidden passages, but Tara and Gahan are repeatedly endangered until they become involved in the city’s most brutal custom, a gigantic game of jetan in which living warriors occupy the black and orange squares and fight to the death when opposing pieces meet. Gahan gathers loyal fighting men from Helium and Gathol, commands them through the deadly contest, and then uses the turmoil within Manator to rescue Tara, ultimately revealing that the humble mercenary Turan is actually Gahan of Gathol. Having finally seen the courage, loyalty, and devotion behind the man she once dismissed, Tara accepts his love and marries him, bringing the adventure to a close through a combination of romance, rebellion, and the spectacular living chess game that gives the novel its title.
