Available in hardback, paperback and ebook editions worldwide.

*Please note this is not the final ms, it is an unedited proof copy. As a result you might expect some errors. Please keep this in mind while reviewing the title, thank you.*

Second book in the highly praised series, following the starred review by Publishers Weekly for book one.

The Heron Kings have been betrayed. A century after their formation from a gang of desperate peasant insurgents, the shadowy band of forest rangers suffers a rare defeat when a skirmish turns into a bloody ambush. Their shaky truce with the crown is tested as young members Linet and Aerrus work to track down their enemies. When reluctant peacetime soldier Eyvind reveals a conspiracy to welcome the charismatic invader Phynagoras, the trio must convince a weak king and pitifully few allies to stand against the storm.

Their only hope lies in the forgotten tactics of their own guerrilla past, and a terrifying new alchemical weapon the likes of which the world had never imagined. The only question is which side will be destroyed by it first...

FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress

Eric Lewis is the author of The Heron Kings, which Publishers Weekly calls an ‘excellent debut’. It has been called ‘dark, brutal and bloody’ (Grimdark Magazine) and ‘fast-paced & gripping’ (British Fantasy Society) with ‘a Robin Hood feel’ (Booklist). 

He is also the author of several works of speculative short fiction published in Nature, Cossmass Infinities, Electric Spec, Bards & Sages Quarterly, as well as the anthology Crash Code, the short story collection Tricks of the Blade and various other works. 

His greatest writing influences include Frank Herbert, Robert Graves, Sharon Kay Penman, Colleen McCullough, Peter S. Beagle and Joe Abercrombie. By day he is a research scientist weathering the latest rounds of mergers and layoffs and trying to remember how to be a person again long after surviving grad school. When not subjecting his writing to one rejection after another he can sometimes be found browsing antique swords he can’t afford online, or searching for the perfect hiking trail or archery range. Don’t ask where because he’s never lived anywhere for longer than five years. He engages in shameless self-promotion on Twitter @TheHeronKing and more information can be found on his website: ericlewis.ink