The Second Son

Oren Trevaine has never shaken the feeling that he's not good enough, but he's determined to avoid the same fate for his men. Oren's first task as Captain of the Guard is to transform his unruly, undisciplined soldiers into a formidable army—if only they would cooperate. But Oren will need to act fast because the snow is melting with the budding of spring. Soon, the enemy will be able to traverse the main pass through the imposing Sansford Range and his men must be ready to patrol the mountain.

A victorious Oren, newly minted Lord Commander of the Mountain Guard, returns to the capital to receive the King's accolades and to ask for the one thing he wants as his prize-the right to marry the woman he loves. But the court is a dangerous place, and nothing is as Oren expects when he arrives at his childhood home. The King is under pressure, and he has new demands for Oren that will test both his honor and his loyalty to the Crown.

The dust of betrayal has barely settled, and the threat of war from neighboring Mirdon looms larger than ever. Oren must unite the nobility of Westmere to fight the enemy and get them to trust his lead—or he might face a war within his borders and an invasion. But snow will hold the mountain passes closed and the kingdom secure until spring. Oren has earned the respect and loyalty of unruly men before, when he served as Captain of the Mountain Guard, and he can do it again.

After confronting the ugliest truth and escaping the harrowing events at Fontanil, Oren Trevaine returns to his capital to regroup and find his path forward. But with faceless enemies lurking in every shadow, the Iron Castle feels less like a stronghold and more like a trap. Allowing his court to learn the extent of his troubles will mark Oren's reign as weak, but ignoring the danger could cost him his head—and that of his wife, Queen Marguerite of Westmere.