Inda has returned home and married his intended but has little time to rest and recover before taking up his new duties as the military protector side-by-side with the King, his childhood friend. Those with whom he fought so many battles on land and on sea each find their own way to life after the adventure of following Inda. Not long after Inda settles into his new responsibilities, troubled rumors arrive that the Venn do not plan to stay quietly at home after their withdrawal. Those in danger of the Venn longships beg Inda to return and lead them to victory once again. His king allows him to rejoin the battle, but with secret orders to bring the shipping lanes under the peaceful control only he can provide.

This fourth and final volume in the Inda series is necessarily sprawling and complex as Smith attempts to tie up the lives and storylines of all the characters who were prominent in the first three books with satisfactory conclusions. It covers a wider span of time than the others, providing greedy fans with a glimpse many years in the future, to see how the lives of the characters they have become attached to play out. The author manages to sidestep the dangers of diffusing the narrative by providing short intense glimpses of those lives while keeping the momentum of Inda's story arc marching forward. I was particularly impressed with the sympathetic views provided of the enemy Venn, and the machinations needed on both sides of the battle lines to bring down the true enemy.

Book Summary

Only Inda's fame is strong enough to inspire all the squabbling kingdoms to unite and raise a mighty force to protect the strait and repel the Venn. King Evred has also ordered Inda to take over the strait once the battle is won, but Inda, a former pirate, knows that this is a very bad idea. Now Inda must choose between obeying his liege or committing treason.