So what's the story? The lead-up to Beacon Hill (or Prologue, as posh folk call it)

"It's only a frugging scratch," he told her, 'even on a Lord's daughter. Get in there."

Found badly injured in the Acon forest swamp, speaking an unknown language, Kyre is thought to be from The Pit – the fiery hell below. Displaying astonishing speed and demonic brutality, he is forced to fight for his life and then for Rogor, the lord of the realm.

A secret sisterhood, the Rua, helps him to recover from wounds and burns that would be fatal to others, but also endeavour to control him with potions and incantations that deeply instil him with loyalty to the realm and to the sisters.

Soon, he finds himself engaged in enforcement and punishment assignments for the Rua. Torn by opposing, but compelling drives – by the Sisters; by Lord Rogor and his family, and by his own inner drive to seek his star-inspired destiny, he is forced to form and lead a band of aristo and merchant youngsters, including Lord Rogor’s adult children – The Troop.

Alone, or with The Troop, he fights rebels, raider groups, and other internal enemies of the Lordlands Realm. Despite increasing treachery and serious schisms within The Troop, and among the Rua, he is persuaded and threatened by the lord’s son, Jorris, to continue to lead them as a guerilla band. Together, they massacre major incursions by troops and bandits from two neighbouring realms – Aitierra and Broganta.

Though much scarred by his violent encounters on behalf of the Rua and Lord Rogor, Kyre finds many women are attracted to him. Increasingly, he finds pleasure and solace in their company and their beds. Also, he seeks peace and refuge in the fortress’s kitchens, and in the taverns of the town.

Although granted the Lordship of Tyre Province, he attempts to take the settled life in Lordstown. He buys a house called Pan Isle, and finds diversion and exercise with his pack of war hounds, and his riding forids. Kima, Lord Rogor’s illegitimate daughter moves in with him, almost kindred spirits.

Seeing so much trouble building from the other realms, because of the lord’s weak and erratic ways, Kyre becomes intent on developing the blackpowder and fireworkings that could help defeat them. But, after defeating an Aitierran force at great cost, he is forbidden from using the powders again.

Kima is given the governorship of a far northern town, Esthorpe, adjacent to the realm of Treming Lands, where inter-realm relations are supposedly developing well. Kyre is not so sure, and accompanies her.

Assured by Kima that all is well, and told by Grantairy, a star-gazer woman, that he should seek his own star, he becomes convinced that his higher destiny lies in the Realm of Coast and Islands.

Trekking the coast, he encounters a murderous band of vicious pirates. Slaughtering them, rescuing a few of their prisoners, and sinking their vessels, he finds himself travelling back along the Lazy River towards Lordstown with two cartsful of pirate silver.

At Bowfield Spring, he meets Kellimar Sord, whose two brothers are in Kyre’s Troop. As she seduces him, so her father, Magna Sord, tries to kill him, take the silver.

Eventually recovering from the attack, Kyre returns to Lordstown, where he kills his apothecary’s son-in-law, to aid the family and ensure his supply of pills and potions. He is also seduced by the voluptuous High Sister of the Rua, Sariri, who, for a while, befriends him for her own purposes, and to make him understand what the Rua see as his greater destiny.

He and The Troop fight a bloody guerilla battle along the Valley of The Ribs, across the Aitierran border. Injured he is ridiculed by several thoughtless women in his Troop, and remains in the local area to recover under the care of an apotek and his daughter, Coodie. Briefly, he encounters two women from the Eldgiar Hills, but, after seducing him, they are turned against him.

After returning to Lordstown, he travels to the pinnacles and marshlands of Sabri Province at the behest of Lady Delfindiana, the lord’s powerful wife. There, he meets friends, clashes with enemies, searches for missing realm troops, and has a scatter of bedmate encounters, before being tricked and forced into wiping out a large family of Lady D’s enemies from her childhood. Pleased with his success, she despatches him to recover her silver wagons that have been stolen, with their escorts murdered, by the rebel family who rule the Mindar Hills province. Rather than accede to Kyre’s request for Kima’s rank to be officially recognised in the Volko family, Lady D rewards him with the provincial lordship of Mindar.

Settling all the ownerships, ledgers and titles with Serifin – the librario and creator of new truths; and with Mykal – overman of the Rock Bank that guards the realm’s finances, he almost accidentally forms a blood brotherhood with them, brutally taking over from the three secret Powermen who never did anything to boost the realm’s economy, preferring merely to hoard the wealth with no purpose.

To help Ravena, a raven-haired Rua sister, as well as to keep his head down, away from Lordstown, he undertakes a protracted assignment in Bati and West Pikku provinces, where Aitierra forces have been infiltrating en masse, in preparation for a full-scale incursion. Although eradicating the threat, a young Rua sister, Abi, who followed him, and insisted on joining in with several bloody undertakings, is killed by her own naivety and insistence.

With the troubles, the corpses and burning lands behind him, Kyre turns back towards Lordstown, stopping for an overnight rest at a small town, Lind-on-Hill....

Surely a peace-filled place, perfect for rest and recovery....?

"Shuggit! Looked so peaceful when I arrived."

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