SOME ARE BORN TO POWER SOME SEIZE IT AND SOME HAVE THE WISDOM NEVER TO WIELD IT The Red Knight has stood against soldiers, against armies and against the might of an empire without flinching. He's fought on real and on magical battlefields alike, and now he's facing one of the greatest challenges yet. A tournament. A joyous spring event, the flower of the nobility will present arms and ride against each other for royal favour and acclaim. It's a political contest - and one which the Red Knight has the skill to win. But the stakes may be higher than he thinks. The court of Alba has been infiltrated by a dangerous faction of warlike knights, led by the greatest knight in the world: Jean de Vrailly - and the prize he's fighting for isn't royal favour, but the throne of Alba itself. Where there is competition there is opportunity; the question is, will the Red Knight take it? Or will the creatures of the Wild seize their chance instead ...'A stirring, gritty and at times quite brutal epic fantasy' Tor.com 'This series promises to be the standout epic fantasy for the ages' Fantasy Book Critic