Prince Cavan is sure his younger brother, Swane, is behind the children going missing in the city. But his father refuses to listen and sends him away to investigate reports of selkies stealing people from the countryside. A furious Cavan fears this is part of a conspiracy. But then he meets Fallon, a simple country sergeant who has his own theories about the attacks on Gaelland. And what they cannot achieve apart, they must just do together ...

The people are starving ... As Fallon and his friends struggle to control a mutinous capital, Feray is preparing to lead a legion of Kottermanis back to the country to free her captured husband, Prince Kemal. But the real danger is coming from the east – Swane and the treacherous Duchess Dina aren't willing to wait to make their play. An army of mercenaries will be unleashed on Fallon when he least expects it ... An epic fantasy perfect for fans of George RR Martin, David Gemmell and Raymond E. Feist.

For king, but not for country. With a growing fear that King Aidan has dark plans for him, a grief-stricken Fallon is forced to obey the ruler's every whim as he tries to find a way out of Aidan's impossible trap. Meanwhile, Bridgit is struggling with the ghosts of her past, but she cannot let them distract her: freeing herself and her fellow slaves from Kotterman is her only hope of being reunited with her husband and son. Above their plights, the cogs of empire continue to turn. What is the significance of the Kottermani prince's mysterious visit to Gaelland? This epic fantasy is perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Joe Abercrombie.

Fallon's worst nightmare has come true. The raiders struck at Baltimore and the village is gone. Everything he knew is gone. Everything but his son, Kerrin, found hiding. But the raiders just made their first mistake. Because now Fallon and his friends have nothing to lose. And they are willing to do anything to get their families back. A dangerous new player has just entered the struggle for Gaelland ...

Gaelland is a nation gripped by fear. In the country, fishing boats return with their crews mysteriously vanished while farms are left empty, their owners gone into the night, meals still on the table. In the cities, children disappear from the streets or even out of their own beds. The King tells his people that it is the work of selkies – mythical creatures who can turn from seals into men and back again – and witches. But no matter how many women he burns at the stake, the children are still being taken. Fallon is a man who has always dreamed of being a hero. His wife Bridgit just wants to live in peace and quiet, and to escape the tragedies that have filled her life. His greatest wish and her worst nightmare are about to collide. When an empty ship sails into their village, Fallon follows the trail to the truth behind the evil stalking their land. But it is a journey that will take them both into a dark, dark place and nobody can tell them where it might end ...

Fallon and Prince Cavan are getting closer to the truth. They are tantalisingly close to discovering who is really behind the evil inside the country. Or is this all a trap and they are merely about to blunder into it? Meanwhile Bridgit, without her husband and son, is discovering that she has also left her fears behind and, just when they most need it, her enslaved people are getting a most unlikely leader ...

As Bridgit battles to find a way to free her people from slavery, Fallon thinks he has found a way to not only bring the families back home but end the reign of terror on the streets. But he and Prince Cavan are about to discover that they are but pawns in a dark game. And it is the fate of pawns to be sacrificed ...