The paladin clans, an order of mercenary knights, are determined to crush the growing revolution, and Devlor Bastorran, the wildly cruel heir apparent to the clan leadership, plots a gruesome revenge against Reeth.
But Reeth has larger problems to contend with. The rebels have decided on the location of their new state -- a remote island -- and he has been given the dangerous task of delivering payment in gold. Soon Reeth discovers that a powerful new enemy threatens to destroy not only the Covenant, but also his chance for redemption.
Stan Nicholls is best known for the internationally acclaimed Orcs: First Blood series. His journalism has appeared in Locus, SFX, the Guardian, the Independent, the Daily Mirror, Time Out, Sight and Sound, and Rolling Stone, among many other publications. He currently lives in the West Midlands, U.K., with his wife, the writer Anne Gay.