In the Shadow of Dragons

In fifth century Britain, spy and master of disguise Marcus ap Iorwerth, while being squeezed between the politics of two powerful kings, accidentally sparks off what will become the quest for the holy grail. Book 4 of the Macsen's Treasure Series.

Winner of the Colorado Book Award and National Indie Excellence Award!

In the war-torn fifth century, after the end of Roman rule and before King Arthur's rise to power, blunt-talking spy and master of disguise Marcus ap Iorwerth works for a clandestine alliance of British nobles set to depose the inept and hated high king. His efforts lead him to Claerwen, an ethereal woman with "fire in the head"--the gift of visions--and to whom he is inescapably drawn.

He quickly realizes she has unwittingly become ensnared in a lethal conspiracy involving a broken marriage contract, a buildup of foreign mercenaries and a brutal warrior called the Iron Hawk who leaves atrocities and scorched earth in his wake. All appear connected to a hunt for an unnamed treasure supposedly in Claerwen's possession. She knows nothing of this treasure and though Marcus struggles to protect her, he is betrayed and disappears. Alone and homeless, Claerwen must decide whether to believe what everyone tells her, that Marcus is dead and she should go into hiding. But when a vision shows her the dreaded Iron Hawk in pursuit of Marcus, she is also challenged to journey into the path of gods—to trust the destiny laid out before her. Defying all common sense, she embarks alone on a daunting journey to find him before the warrior does. Has she truly understood the vision’s message? Or will each die alone, lost and forgotten at the edge of the Iron Hawk’s sword? And will the alliance survive without Marcus—perhaps dooming Britain’s future as well?

Into the Path of Gods blends Dark Age Britain’s history with its Celtic roots and Arthurian legend. The story introduces the spectacular four-part Macsen’s Treasure Series set in the fifth century. Other books in the multi-award winning series include In the Shadow of Dragons, The Anvil Stone and A Land Beyond Ravens.

“Freedom is all that matters.” So says spy and master of disguise Marcus ap Iorwerth of his greatest dream. For years, he has courageously struggled to unite Britain’s feuding internal factions and derail the ever-encroaching Saxon threat that has made his homeland a deadly place.

So when a mysterious stranger delivers a gruesome, bloodstained effigy fashioned to look like him, Marcus immediately knows it’s both a warning and a challenge. He and his wife Claerwen—whose gift of second sight makes her a target as well—run headlong into the daunting fray. Rival factions are instigating war both among themselves and with the Saxons, and while Marcus sets out to quash their treachery, Claerwen discovers another crisis. Those same factions have mounted a desperate search for one of Britain’s most cherished symbols—a magnificent sword of the ancient high kings that has been lost for decades. She knows the sword must be found; it is part of Britain’s future and will pass to a great king called Arthur who has been prophesied to come. With battle about to erupt all around, Marcus learns the stranger, an assassin bent on killing him, may be one of the last sources that could lead him and Claerwen to the sacred sword.

The Anvil Stone brings the volatile tribal nature of Dark Age Britain to life and deftly interweaves it with its mystical Celtic roots and the promise of hope found in the Arthurian legend. A stunning display of the storyteller’s craft, this book is the third in the spectacular four-part Macsen’s Treasure series that began with Into the Path of Gods and In the Shadow of Dragons.