For it has been many years since she left the place where her hands were crippled by a fire – years in which she has nurtured her special talent with animals.

Sevenwaters is also much changed. It is now enslaved by the fey prince Mac Dara, a force of malignant magic who is responsible for a party of travellers disappearing. When Maeve discovers the body of one of the missing men, she and her brother Finbar are lured to the Otherworld on a journey that may save Sevenwaters…or lead to catastrophe.

If Maeve is ever to dream of a future, she must confront the darkness of her past.

THE BRIDEI CHRONICLES

Juliet Marillier

The Dark Mirror

When the child Bridei is sent to the kingdom of Fortriu to be raised by Broichan, a powerful druid, he knows only that he must be studious and obedient. Bridei applies himself to learning, unaware that a secret council of elders, including Broichan, has long been working on plans for the future of their divided homeland, and that Bridei himself is central to their strategy.

When a baby girl is left on the doorstep one winter’s night, Bridei thanks the gods for sending him a companion to share his lonely existence in the remote household. But Tuala’s arrival spells a perilous complication to Broichan’s master plan. As Bridei moves ever closer to his grand destiny, and as Tuala grows from fey child to beguiling young woman, powerful forces turn against the secret council; enemies will stop at nothing to foil the druid’s plan, even if they must endanger Bridei’s life.

Juliet Marillier

Blade of Fortriu

King Bridei is preparing for the long-awaited war to drive the Gaelic invaders out of the west. He sends Ana, a hostage of Fortriu since childhood, north to make a strategic marriage which will strengthen his chances of victory. Ana is escorted by a man she despises, the enigmatic Faolan, Bridei’s assassin and spy. Their expedition is ill-fated, and their destination of Briar Wood, stronghold of the chieftain Alpin, proves to be a place of dark secrets. Ana is drawn towards a mysterious prisoner, while Faolan must walk a delicate path between loyalty and betrayal.

Bridei’s forces march into battle. To those left behind, the omens become clear: the king is heading towards certain death. There is only one messenger who can reach him in time, but to use him will endanger Ana’s chance of happiness . . .

Juliet Marillier

The Well of Shades

Sent home to Ireland on a secret mission for King Bridei of Fortriu, Faolan, the king’s chief assassin, finds himself confronting the demons of his family’s dark past. Once he has tracked down the powerful Christian cleric who may be a threat to the stability of Bridei’s pagan kingdom, Faolan returns from his mission having become responsible for a child, a dog and Eile, a troubled, volatile young woman with a deeply disturbing past.