Mirabaya, a country similar to medieval France, is ruled by a young, untried king who should be easily led by Amaury, the head of the church. Amaury knows power is often best wielded frombehind the throne, out of sight, out of range of an assassin…. Threatening his plans is news of a dragon, a creature thought destroyed centuries ago. How best to deal with this nuisance?

Once a member of the King’s personal guard, Gill now spends most days drinking and mourning his wife and child. He’s stunned to be ordered to find and destroy a marauding dragon–weren’t they hunted to extinction long before he was born? Together with Solene, a young woman who has an unstable, dangerous magical talent, this unlikely hero faces treachery and uncovers lost history as they attempt to defeat a dragon that shouldn’t exist.

Since self-publishing his first ebook, The Tattered Banner (one of BuzzFeed’s 12 Greatest Fantasy Books of the Year, 2013), Duncan M. Hamilton has sold more than 220,000 copies of his fast-paced, character-focused, fantasy adventure novels. Tor Books is pleased to introduce this popular author to new readers.