The Shattered Drum

Nasan Kolycheva has endured more than one crisis since her marriage to a Russian nobleman four years ago. Only twenty, the Tatar princess welcomes the possibility of a calm and happy life with her charming husband, Daniil, and their adorable child, even if she silently wishes that the three of them could retreat to the steppe that she still calls home. But peace has few friends in Russia in 1538. Turmoil roils the steppe, a palace coup leads to Daniil’s arrest, and his father’s decision to retire to a monastery leaves Nasan as the one person who can procure her husband’s release, even if it means dusting off the skills that once won her renown as that legendary hero, the Golden Lynx. Then her baby falls ill, and Nasan faces a choice she desperately wants to avoid. Who deserves her loyalty more: her husband or her son?