This book finally goes into the details of the origins of Valdemar. We’ve known it was founded by a nobleman from the far away Empire, and he summons the Companions after a prayer to all the gods he’s ever heard of – now we get the full story.
Kordas, Duke of Valdemar, has worked very hard to maintain the fiction that he’s a country Duke, who’s skilled at raising fine horses, but little else. Before he inherited, he was forced to spend some time in the Empire’s capital, and he knows how much the country is decaying from within. He’s actually the third generation that’s been making plans to escape, if they can find the right magic.
In this book, they do find the right magic, and Kordas is simultaneously summoned back to the capital, to find that conditions in the Empire have grown even more dire. Will he be able to escape with his people? (Spoiler alert – yes, it happens at the end of this book.)
Loved the story, loved the other characters, and definitely looking forward to see where things go next, as they explore their new land.