"Hanuvar had pledged to find the remnants of his people, scattered into slavery across the whole of the peninsula. This time he had no army to help him. His would be a stealthy war of liberation, buying the freedom of some and arranging for the escape of others, aided only by a young playwright, the daughter of a hated political rival, the tattered remnants of his old spy network, and the unlikeliest ally of all, the general who had once defeated him. Arrayed against them were the mighty legions, the sorcerous revenants, and the wily Metellus of the Praetorian guard, ever alert to seize advantage. To add to their troubles, someone was drawing unwanted attention to the helpless Volani slaves by murdering influential Dervans and leaving the sign of the sacred Eltyr corps beside their bodies. Someone who might well be Hanuvar's lost daughter, who'd fought her way from captivity and was even now being hunted through the countryside. Worst of all, a magical attack had left Hanuvar with a lingering curse that might change him forever . . . or lead him to an early grave"--

Howard Andrew Jones is the author of the critically acclaimed Ring-Sworn trilogy, and two historical Arabian fantasy novels. He was the driving force behind the rebirth of interest in Harold Lamb’s historical fiction, and assembled and edited eight collections of Lamb’s work for the University of Nebraska Press. He edits the sword-and-sorcery magazine Tales From the Magician’s Skull and served as Managing Editor of Black Gate magazine. He holds a third-degree black belt in Shotokan karate and is studying for his fourth. He lurks at www.howardandrewjones.com, where he blogs about writing craft, gaming, fantasy and adventure fiction, and assorted nerdery.