Lord of the Fire Lands: A Tale of the King's Blades Book

Once bound, a Blade's life is no longer his own. Only death can break the gilded chain of enchantment that binds the bodyguard to the man he is sworn to defend. And never in living memory has a candidate refused the honor of serving his kinguntil now.

Young Wasp is no rebel, but an orphan who came to Ironhall when his entire family was obliterated by savage Baelish pirates. Yet, at the sacred ceremony of binding, he follows the lead of his friend Raider-and together they spurn the wishes of King Ambrose himself. For there are obligations much more constraining than those of royal origin-and old, smoldering hatreds that require but a mere spark to burst once more into flame.

Now Raider and Wasp are outlaws to King and country-fugitives hunted by the very Blades whose ranks they were a breath away from entering-and joined together by a destiny that binds them more securely than any knot tradition and sorcery might tie. Amid the turmoil their "treachery" has inspired, Wasp and Raider must undertake a desperate journey into the heart of the dreaded Fire Lands. For the outcome of their terrifying confrontation with the dark truth and darker magic in this realm of monsters, ghosts, and half-men will ultimately determine the fate of two kingdoms.

The unparalleled intelligence, vision, wit, imagination, and dazzling storytelling prowess of Dave Duncan blaze brightly in this relentlessly exciting tale-an unforgettable excursion into Ironhall and beyond...and a stunning counterpart to his acclaimed adventure The Gilded Chain.