"In medieval Germany, Hildegard of Bingen was born with a gift--the remarkable ability to see beyond this earthly realm. But a gift can also be a great burden, especially when Hildegard's vision helps her witness the vicious murder of a monk on the hallowed grounds of the monastery at Disibodenberg. When the peace of the monastery is shattered by a second gruesome murder, Hildegard seeks the help of Volmar, her trusted scribe. Volmar discovers a treacherous plot to seize the Spear of Destiny--a holy relic rumored to bear a curse that haunts anyone who tries to wield its power for their own purposes. Within hours of the murders, Volmar and Hildegard are cast into a web of violence and intrigue spawned by the greed of power-hungry nobelmen, deceitful clerics, and the ambitions of the Knights Hospitaller, a secret society sworn to protect the warriors of the Crusades"--P. [4] of cover.