In Previous Books in this Series....

War looms over Britannia where rival tribal rulers fight each other for power and the Romans threaten to invade to settle their political differences.

In 4 AD, Queen Rhan, a Druidess, cast a revenge curse against her husband, King Amren, just before he executed her for treason. Their eight-year-old son, Marrock, was forced to witness the horrific act. Unbeknownst to Amren, Rhan’s soul possessed a mute girl, Agrona, right after he beheaded his wife. Thus, Agrona’s body became the vessel for both her and Rhan’s souls. Serving as a channel for Rhan’s words, Agrona spoke for the first time. Amren, believing this was a miracle, proclaimed Agrona as his spiritual advisor. Shortly after, Marrock discovered that Agrona harbored his mother’s soul and thus plotted with her to overthrow his father, Amren.

A year later in 5 AD, Amren married his second queen, Rhiannon, with whom he had three daughters. Amren banished Marrock in 17 AD for assaulting his youngest daughter, Catrin.

In the spring of 24 AD, a Roman envoy, Lucius Antonius, demanded that Amren accept Marrock back as the rightful heir to his Cantiaci throne. Amren refused, unleashing open hostilities. The envoy’s son, Marcellus, was held as a hostage until they could resolve their differences. Catrin learned to her dismay that she was the Raven foretold in the curse and her banished half-brother was Blood Wolf. Guided by her raven, she was determined to use her growing powers as a Druidess to break the curse. Her loyalty was tested when she fell in love with Marcellus and refused to marry the son of the Catuvellauni king. She saved Marcellus’s life during a prisoner exchange, where Amren was seriously wounded.

Amren accused Catrin of treason for aiding Marcellus. The ultimate punishment was death unless she could redeem herself and prove her loyalty by forsaking Marcellus and defending their kingdom. A fierce warrior, Ferrex, volunteered to train Catrin as a warrior so she could atone for her treason. However, after Marrock unexpectedly killed Catrin’s eldest sister and Roman soldiers during another prison exchange of hostages, tensions ignited. When Marcellus offered a proposal to Amren to avoid warfare, an ancient Druid proclaimed that he must marry Catrin in a fertility rite and temporarily accept sovereignty as king to remove Rhan’s curse. Amren reluctantly agreed.

During the marriage ceremony, Marrock kidnapped the drugged Marcellus. Agrona shapeshifted into Catrin’s form and seduced Marcellus. Agrona’s soul then transmigrated into their seeded child while Rhan’s soul remained in Agrona’s body. Lucius Antonius ordered his Roman soldiers to attack the Cantiaci kingdom so Marrock could overthrow his father in exchange for Marcellus’s return. In the conflict, Marrock brutally killed his father and step-mother, Rhiannon. The Roman tribune, Decimus, enslaved the wounded Catrin and took her back to Gaul. Meanwhile, Lucius returned to Rome with Marcellus whose memories of Britannia had been erased by Rhan.