The Eighth Circle

In the Realm Beyond the Eighth Circle, Princess Liala awaits the arrival of the Lord of Light. Prophecies foretell that the saintly man and his faithful servant will come to save her people from the tyrannical rule of the guardians. All the signs are there and Liala goes to meet them only to discover that neither is as saintly as she imagined. After a bad start she realises that saintliness won't defeat the guardians. Some very unsaintly qualities are needed and the two men have them.

The guardians seized power centuries ago and claim to be immortal. Grotesque devices keep them alive. They plunder people's bodies for spare parts, turn the living into zombies and use bioengineering to create monsters. From the comfort of their palace, they enslave the minds of the young and use their bodies for enjoyment. They even hunt people for sport. Computers, monsters and zombies run their evil empire.