The northern lands of Cymru hold untold riches, ancient ruins, and dangers that no army can easily overcome. Yet King Osric, blinded by greed, sends his forces north to claim their treasures, ignoring warnings of the horrors that lie beyond the mountains. When word arrives that the king’s expedition has fallen into ruin, one man refuses to wait for an army that may take months to arrive. Rhys of Cymru is no prince, no lord, and no servant of the crown. The son of Edmund, a legendary warrior of the old wars, Rhys has earned his place among the people through courage, skill, and deeds they still remember. With only his trusted horse, Bran, and his father’s weathered sword, Rhys takes a perilous shortcut through haunted forests, savage beasts, and a freezing marsh where food and shelter are nowhere to be found. There, when his strength is nearly spent, he turns to his god—and discovers that hope may arrive from the most unexpected place. But the wilderness has greater trials waiting. Dragons haunt the dark, ancient magic twists the truth, and monstrous chieftains guard the path to those who have been captured. To reach the king’s stranded army, Rhys must rely on more than strength. He will need patience, cunning, faith, and the resolve to keep moving when every sensible man would turn back.