Siobeth

by Dan Conover

With the die cast for war in the lowlands of Darbas, renegade Gheraldic General Barney Alt and Rialta, the enigmatic Lady of Gwynyr, join forces in a tenuous alliance.

Ahead of them lies The Edain, Darbas' fertile central plain, and as the ouhasandan raiders flee before Alt's rapidly expanding force, the new Army of Darbas forms a simple plan. March across the lowlands, gather volunteers along the way, push back the DuQaddish regulars who seek to impede their campaign, and lift the siege of the Gheraldic garrison at Sidon.

And it just might work. If anything would go right for a change.

In the weeks of high summer that follow, Rialta and her three heroes -- Alt, plus Clydish sergeants John Tera and Seamus Dannan -- will be pushed past their limits by desperate battles, fatal intrigues and painful tests of love and friendship. Because when the ultimate weapon is trust, victory takes on a new meaning.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 9, 2013

About the author

I was born in Chicago, raised in North Carolina, and spent most of my 20-year newspaper career in Charleston, SC. That's also where I met my wife, Janet Edens, and where we raised our four kids from previous marriages.

I quit the newspaper business on a buyout in 2008 and managed to miss most of the carnage that followed. I've been freelancing ever since.