A new fantasy adventure from Julia Golding, the highly acclaimed author of the Diamond of Drury Lane series and The Companions Quartet.

When Princess Taoshira, the uptight Fourth Crown Princess of the Blue Crescent Islands, is sent to marry the 'uncouth' Ramil ac Burinholt, heir to the throne of Gerfal, they are both horrified. The princess is used to a life of discipline, ritual and splendour, Ramil to a life spent hunting and carousing. But the countries of both are under threat from the fearsome warlord Fergox Spearthrower and the only chance of peace is for them to form an alliance. So when Ramil and Taoshira are kidnapped, things look disastrous.

However, the kidnap is the start of an exhilarating journey involving circus troupes, bloody battles, unarmed combat, daring escape and breakneck chases. Along the way, Ramil and Tashi learn much about themselves and one another, and through the cast of characters they encounter – including a daring rebel leader, a sinister master of spies and the best female fighter they have ever seen - they begin to see a way to bring the mighty Fergox Spearthrower down, and save their beautiful lands from devastation and war.