Lothar the Usurper has stolen his brother’s throne. Now he sits upon it, plotting to get rid of his troublesome niece, Jael Furyck - Brekka’s finest warrior and the woman once expected to rule the kingdom.

Her presence hangs over him like an axe - a constant threat to his ambitions, which stretch far beyond his already generous borders. But when an unexpected visitor arrives, Lothar discovers a way to hurt Jael without ever getting his greedy hands dirty…

Across the Nebbar Straits, King Eirik Skalleson has been seeking a wife for his wayward son, but Eadmund has ruined everything he’s tried so far.

He thinks he has finally found someone – the daughter of a powerful Alekkan lord. Flame-haired, freckle-nosed, and sweet, she is perfect in every way. The marriage would unite two kingdoms and form a great alliance, yet Eirik’s dreamer daughter is worried.

Trouble, she says.

The woman is going to cause trouble...