Book excerpt: To prevent a violent campaign by Saldjaran Jafzim's army, Rakvir Stagarnik leads a small force to seek the Kalq Runa'at, thought to be a threat to the throne. To persuade him to sign a declaration of loyalty, Rakvir follows him in walking through fire. Cheated of the chance to capture the Kalq Runa'at, Rakvir's enemies send him on an embassy taking tribute to the Kahg of the Magd. Learning he is to be killed, Rakvir escapes and, discovering ships for an invasion, burns them. When war begins he is despatched with a small force on a diversionary campaign within Magdarg. After several victories, he fears that his home town is under siege and hurries to get there before the worst happens. The third volume in the epic "Through Fire", "Magdarg", is set in a distant planet, not too dissimilar from our own. Richard Hernaman Allen, a former Commissioner of HM Customs & Excise, wrote "Through Fire" over a period of thirty years.