Somewhere between getting sentenced to death by the king of England, avoiding execution only to be kidnapped by Viking slave merchants, and being robbed of his beloved foster family by a ruthless, power-hungry monarch, Gabriel has become obsessed with revenge. It helps a bit that, during his years of enslavement in Iceland, he was forced to take part in a perverse mimicry of gladiatorial "Roman games" while Vikings made wagers against his survival. He has become a warrior of unparalleled skill and lethal expertise .and countless months of imprisonment in a filthy underground dungeon have taught him to survive on fury alone. So when the Empress Matilda offers him direct access to the one man responsible for destroying Gabriel's life, he jumps at the opportunity. All he must do in return is retrieve the missing wife of Thomas de Marle, a loathsome ally of Matilda's. Of course, Gabriel doesn't suspect that the impudent, mud-spattered boy he finds hiding out in the forest is none other than the errant Lady Brylieva de Marle herself; nor could he imagine that if he succeeds in retrieving the girl as he has agreed, he will be turning her over directly into the hands of the horrifically savage man she was forced to marry. When Brylieva encounters a mysterious figure prowling around her camp during a downpour one night, she immediately reaches for her bow and quiver. Haunted and mistrustful, the last thing she could have predicted that she and the fierce, unnervingly handsome young swordsman would become friends. It is not long before Gabriel realizes that the brave, resourceful "boy" he has come to respect and admire is actually Brylieva, a golden-haired girl who stole his heart as a child. But soon they are tracked down by Matilda's men, and Brylieva allows herself to be captured in hopes of saving Gabriel's life. As usual, Gabriel is outnumbered by is enemies; and as usual, they have no idea what they're up against. For this time, when Gabriel draws his sword, he is