The blood of the Strong-in-the-Arm clan awoke, roaring in Thirrin's brain, and the fighting spirit of the Hypolitan, her mother's people, straightened her spine and sent a tingling excitement coursing through her veins. She was heir to the throne of the Icemark . . . She must defend her land and her people!
When her father dies in battle, fourteen-year-old Thirrin Freer Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield becomes Queen of the Icemark, a tiny kingdom forever caught between dangerous neighbours. But she bears a heavy burden. Thirrin must raise an army to protect her people from the most formidable threat of invasion that her nation has ever known - and do so before the end of the winter snows. Resourcefully, she goes far beyond her own borderlands in search of new allies. With her friend Oskan Witch's Son at her side, she journeys across The Land of the Ghosts to the frozen Hub of the World. She meets the most extraordinary creatures, including vampires, wolf-folk and giant snow leopards. But can she persuade them to unite and rally to the cry of the Icemark?
Glorious and exciting, this is the epic tale of a young warrior queen. It is also the heartfelt story of a girl who beneath her armour must cope with the joys and uncertainties of life.
