In Hallasholm, Stig is contesting the annual Maktig competition to decide Skandias greatest warrior. A late-night knock on the door brings someone Stig never expected to see again, along with a request the Herons are hard-pressed to refuse: a rescue mission of epic proportions. Across the ocean, the southern city-state of Byzantos is plagued by a crew of pirates whove kidnapped the son of Empress Justina. Slipping out of Hallasholm under the cover of darkness, the brotherband sets sail to recover the boy from his kidnappers, heading south to the island of Santorillos where a near-impenetrable fortress stands atop a cliff, surrounded by a lagoona calderaformed by the crater of a volcano.
Formatted Contents Note: Part 1. A face from the past -- Part 2. The dan -- Part 3. The caldera -- Bonus short story: Ranger's apprentice: the beast from another time.