Book excerpt: A thrilling tale of magic and warfare in ancient Ireland. April 1014. Dubliner Elva watches helplessly as her sister comes under the control of an evil queen. Dara marches towards the city as part of Brian Boru's army, while Skari sails from the Orkneys to fight with King Sitric of Dublin. As the armies come ever closer to each other, no one knows what will happen when they meet to fight what has been called the last battle. Nor do the children realise that their fates are linked in ways they could never have imagined, ways which will test all their courage and loyalty.