Springtime in Styria. And that means war. Springtime in Styria. And that means revenge.Therehave been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso islocked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, andbetween them they have bled the land white. While armies march, headsroll and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers, priests and older,darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.Warmay be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most fearedand famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, it's a damn good way ofmaking money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade toopopular for her employer's taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain andleft for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hungerfor vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.Her alliesinclude Styria's least reliable drunkard, Styria's most treacherouspoisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who justwants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of thenation. And that's all before the most dangerous man in the world isdispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started...