Sir Christopher Hardwicke had hoped that the worst of the Great War was the final reckoning he'd ever hear. By 1929 the world was promising combustion engines and quiet seasons - until a beaten Danish heir turns up with a story of theft, a blood oath, and Robbie chimes in with a a carved lapis tablet which tells of a father lost somewhere beyond the Burmese border.
Drawn into a tangle of old promises and new politics, Kit and his household - Robbie the restless hero, Mack the photographer, Rowan the witch, and a pair of uncanny dogs?must shelter the heir and his daughter's secret at Inverie and then on the wind-bent island of Seljar. Their quiet defences are useless against Gervaise de Lioncour, a man shaped by war to hunt without mercy.
On Seljar, folklore wakes: kelpies answer summons, islanders rise as ancient guardians, and the old oath flashes like a blade. Can this ragged band keep a family safe, unmask a murderous past, and survive a man who will stop at nothing? The answer is written on a stone - and only those who dare follow its tide will ever learn the truth.
Autorentext
Judy Peters has studied history, librarianship, textile art and literature. One day she will embroider a book and catalogue it. She is interested in the female gothic, speculative fiction and alternative history. Occasional poetry is published under the name Judy Edmonds.