Following THE CRY OF THE ICEMARK, a huge success in England and critically acclaimed in the U.S., the next epic adventure in The Icemark Chronicles. Many years have passed since Queen Thirrin and her allies defended the Icemark against a brutal invasion. But now General Bellorum is back, along with his bloodthirsty spawn--twin sons even more vicious than him. Thirrin and Oskan also have a family: two girls and three boys. But darkness lurks within the House of Lindenshield: Medea, the couple's cold-hearted fifteen-year-old daughter, is just coming into her magical powers, and she may be the downfall of the kingdom. It's up to her brother, Charlemagne, crippled by polio as a child, to return from exile and rescue the land he loves.