A curse is cast, a promise made. Come what may, there'll be blood on the bracken.
The Black Doe assassins are legends, shadows who never leave a target alive. But Bridei, one such Black Doe sent to end the threat of a rising warlord, is stabbed with her own knife, crucified, and left to die. If she is to fulfil her mission, retrieve her stolen memories, and earn her fee, she must live, and she must kill.
Tisiphone's sons are raised on tales of the Black Does and tales of Rome. They carry great potential: the blood of Cruithne, which grants them the chance to become chieftain, married with that of the mighty Roman general, Agricola. Yet as the invaders encroach ever further north, what was once a blessing may soon become a curse. Can Tisiphone's love and fierce loyalty protect her boys from suspicion, invasion, and the darkness of thwarted ambition?
In a world soaked in magic and blood, both women, one a mother, the other a killer, face a choice: to hold onto what they want, or to do what must be done.
