LYING IN WAIT...

The Highlanders defeated Anastasia Kerensky the last time she attacked Northwind—although she retreated with most of her troops intact. Now dispersed among several planets, the Highlanders will need a bigger edge if they are to end Kerensky's threat completely. A rumor places Anastasia Kerensky on Northwind. If that's true, the Steel Wolves must also be close by. Determined to locate them, Paladin Ezekiel Crow and Countess Tara Campbell order a reconnaissance—unaware that their enemy may be closer than they think.

With her forces on standby, Anastasia believes there is little the embattled Republic can do to stop her from finally conquering Northwind. What she doesn't realize is that she has allies she never imagined—and enemies she never suspected.

It's a moment of truth for Crow, Campbell, and Kerensky, when lies emerge from the shadows, and the fate of a world hangs in the balance.