Princess Cassandra of Araluen has already survived one assassination attempt, but when a second attempt proves that the deadly Scorpion Cult is involved, Hal, his Heron Brotherband crew, and the Ranger Gilan are dispatched to ensure her safety by launching a preemptive strike against Scorpion Mountain and its cult of assassins.

Time-travelling Claire Randall returns to her own time, pregnant and weary, and resumes her life, but her memories of her eighteenth-century Scottish lover Jamie Fraser will not die, leading her to a desperate decision to return to him.

"Hal and the other Herons face many perils as they track down the pirates who stole Skandia's most prized artifact, the Andomal"--

With their honor restored, Hal and his fellow Herons leave Skandia again on a new mission--to track down and stop Hal's nemesis, Tursgud, a bullying youth-turned vicious pirate and slave trader.

Skandian outcasts Hal, Stig, and others do battle at sea against the Wolves and the Sharks, in the ultimate race across icy waters where not everyone thinks of the competition as play.

From jacket of book: When his stepfather's gambling debts leave him a marked man, Francis Courtney feels to South Africa with revenge on his mind. His uncle, Tom Courtney, killed Francis's father. Christopher Courtney gave up a privileged position to become a fierce warrior, but his path led to violence and treachery. When the two Courtney men collide, the sins of the father will change the fate of a younger generation. "The New York Times bestselling...