Book excerpt: Over four hundred years before the birth of Christ, the island of Ériu is a patchwork of feuding kingdoms, vast plains, and frozen bogs. Battle, intrigue, betrayals, and courage are part of life for the Celts who call Ériu home. At the same time, from their underground halls, the mysterious demi-goddesses of the Aes Sídhe seduce brave warriors, turning men into kings and binding them with fearsome geis. Conall Mac Gabhann is content with his apprenticeship with the local blacksmith. Content, that is, until he finds his family slaughtered in their home. Two men share responsibility for the massacre: a mad Irish king and a dissolute Roman. Conall will have his vengeance or die in the attempt. Accompanied by his childhood love—the beautiful but dark-spirited—Mórrígan, and the veteran warrior Fearghal, Conall's quest takes him northward through unfriendly kingdoms to a confrontation beyond the ancient earthworks of the Black Pig's Dyke. Along the way, Conall and Mórrígan will gather an army and come under the influence of the Aes Sídhe. If Conall desires, an apprentice blacksmith will become a king. Who knows what Mórrígan will become? The Conall Series contains scenes of sex and violence and language appropriate to the period (400 B.C.) it is set in. It is not recommended for those under 14 without parental consent.