The Amarrat army continues its march across the northern land route to attack Lanth. But Arken Freeth has been critically wounded by his encounter with a deadly Tant and may not survive to lead the Nanders to war. Meanwhile, the Amarrat armada is crossing the Circle Sea to rendezvous with their army at the River Zash. Zuul, the Amarrat king has equipped Yolanta, king of the Tookans, with a fleet of twenty fighting ships, and he is leading the Amarrat armada across the Circle Sea. Yet Yolanta is plagued by doubts about his loyalty to Zuul after he invaded Yolanta's mind. Lanth is frantically preparing to defend itself as Arken’s friend, Asher, sails to the Nander Water Cave. He is accompanied by his mother, the Queen of Tolaria, who plans to read the Necklace of Tol in hopes of divining a strategy to defeat the Amarrats. The collision of these forces is inevitable. But who will win the battle at sea against the Amarrat Armada? Alex Paul lives in Portland, Oregon in the winter and on the Oregon coast in the summer with his wife, Laura Ross-Paul. Their summer home is a small log cabin with a yurt for Laura's art studio. He began hunting when he was 20. He taught himself to hunt and has hunted for deer, elk, antelope and wild boar in Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. Alex began fishing when he found a fishing pole left in the garage of a home his parents moved to on the banks of the North Santiam River in Oregon.While his father was not interested in fishing, his mother faithfully accompanied him on trips to a special fishing hole on the river behind an abandoned wooden dam until she was confident he would not fall in and drown. Then he fished the river accompanied only by his two loyal dogs. That early interest in trout fishing transformed into a passion for salmon fishing and now Alex keeps a deep sea fishing boat, Ajax, in Astoria, Oregon. Friends and children join Alex in the summer crossing the Columbia River Bar to fish the Pacific Ocean. This love of the hunt has translated into a rich base of experience to draw on in writing his award-winning Arken Freeth series. Additional activities such as archery, fencing, Tae Kwon Do, long distance running and owning a horse have also given Alex first hand experience developing the skills Arken needs to survive in his world.