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  First published in 2013 by Puffin UK, a division of Penguin Books Ltd.

  This edition published in the United States of America by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2013

  Text copyright © Curtis Jobling, 2013

  Map copyright © Curtis Jobling, 2012

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  ISBN: 978-1-101-59762-0

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  This one’s for you, Mrs. Bling! JJJ.

  CONTENTS

  Map

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  PART I: THE WOLF RETURNS

  I. The Bull Pen

  2. Killer Charm

  3. A Wave of Steel

  4. The Patient Prisoner

  5. The Baited Hook

  6. Bowed Before the Gates of Azra

  7. The Wolf Knight

  8. The Only Way

  PART II: THE LINES ARE DRAWN

  1. Dried Out

  2. Quills and Ills

  3. Father and Son

  4. Bad Debts

  5. Ruined

  6. The Port of Lost Souls

  7. The Midnight Meeting

  PART III: FIRST BLOOD

  1. Passing Through

  2. More Edge

  3. Gray Son

  4. The Farm and the Fire

  5. Hedgemoor

  6. The Battle of the Bana Gap

  7. Broken Home

  8. Uneasy Allies

  9. The Shark and the Hawk

  PART IV: THE DIE IS CAST

  1. Red Meat

  2. Out of the Mountains

  3. At One Another’s Throats

  4. An Unexpected Hand

  5. The Lord of All Lions

  6. The Smith and the Surgeon

  7. The Simplest Choice

  8. Scraps from the Table

  9. The Union

  PART V: THE BATTLE ON BLACK ROCK

  1. Well Met At Last

  2. Three Sides To Every Fight

  3. Taking Flight

  4. A Brave New Union

  5. Long Wait Over

  6. Tremors

  PART VI: WAR OF THE WERELORDS

  1. A Cold Welcome

  2. Persuasive Words

  3. The Cruelest Blow

  4. A Tide of Hope

  5. Bloody Tears

  6. The Long Sleep Calls

  7. Light Against Night

  8. A Final Farewell

  PART VII: THE COST

  1. The Girl in the Tree

  2. The Wolf Hunt

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  THE WOLF AND HIS ALLIES

  Drew Ferran, last of the Gray Wolves, rightful king of Westland.

  Werelords of the High Seas

  Count Vega, Prince of Cluster Isles, sea marshal for the Wolf, former captain of the Maelstrom, member of the Wolf’s Council. Sharklord.

  Baron Bosa, the Whale of Moga, captain of the Beluga, former pirate. Whalelord.

  Figgis, first mate of the Maelstrom.

  Florimo, navigator. Ternlord.

  Casper, former cabin boy of the Maelstrom. The son of Vega and Shah. Hawklord.

  Phibians of the Bott Marshes

  Kholka, a phibian Marshman.

  Shilmin, his wife.

  Khilik, their child.

  Shoma, another phibian Marshman.

  Werelords of Azra

  King Faisal of Azra, true king of Omir. Jackal-lord.

  Vizier Barjin of Azra, Faisal’s closest adviser. Jackal-lord.

  Lady Hayfa the Hyena, ruler of Ro-Shann and besieger of Azra. Werehyena.

  Aldo, Hayfa’s right-hand man.

  Lord Canan of Omir, ruler of Pasha, rebel king engaged in civil war against King Faisal. Doglord.

  Kara, Faisal’s young daughter. Jackal-lady.

  Bastian Allies of the Wolf

  Lady Opal, the Beauty of Bast, sister of Onyx. Pantherlady.

  Lord Chollo of the Teeth. Cheetahlord.

  High Lord Tigara, Elder of Tigers, grandfather of Taboo. Tigerlord.

  Taboo, granddaughter of Lord Tigara, gladiator in Scoria. Tigerlady.

  Hawklords

  Lady Shah, healer, heir to Windfell. Hawklady.

  Count Carsten, leader of the Hawklords, brother of Baron Baum.

  Baron Baum, leader of the Hawklords, brother of Count Carsten.

  Bearlords of Brackenholme

  Lady Whitley, daughter of Bergan, Greencloak scout.

  Duke Bergan of Brackenholme, member of the Wolf’s Council.

  Duchess Rainier, wife of Bergan. Foxlady.

  Lord Broghan, son of Bergan, Greencloak commander, now deceased.

  Baron Redfearn, Bergan’s brother.

  White Bears of Icegarden

  Duke Henrik, Lord of Icegarden, cousin of Duke Bergan.

  Lady Greta, magister, sister of Henrik, under siege by Baron Hector.

  Wildcats of Robben

  Bethwyn, lady-in-waiting to Lady Greta.

  Baron Mervin, ruler of Robben, Bethwyn’s father.

  Staglords of Stormdale

  Duke Manfred, member of the Wolf’s Council.

  Lord Reinhardt, son of Manfred, acting leader of Stormdale.

  Lord Milo, son of Manfred, younger brother of Reinhardt.

  Magister Wilhelm, healer, Hector’s uncle. Boarlord.

  White Wolves of Shadowhaven

  Miloqi, a seer.

  Mikotaj, Miloqi’s brother, known as the White Death.

  Other Living Werelords

  Lady Gretchen of Hedgemoor, former fiancée of Lucas, Drew’s friend. Werefox.

  Lord Conrad of Cape Gala. Horselord.

  Lord Eben of Haggard, young Ramlord.

  Krieg, gladiator, survivor of the Furnace. Rhinolord.

  The Behemoth, gladiator, survivor of the Furnace. Mammoth-lord.

  Duke Brand of Calico. Bull-lord.

  Deceased Werelords

  Wergar the Wolf, former king of Westland, Drew’s father, deposed and killed by King Leopold.

  Queen Amelie, White Wolf, dowager queen of Westland, widow of Wergar and Leopold, mother of Drew and Lucas. Killed by Hector.

  Earl Mikkel, brother to Duke Manfred, slain by Doglords before the Battle of Highcliff. Staglord. />
  Baron Ewan of Haggard, father of Lord Eben, magister, slain by Count Kesslar. Ramlord.

  Lord Dorn, son of Duke Brand, slain by Count Kesslar in Haggard. Bull-lord.

  Red Rufus, killed in the Battle of Brackenholme. Hawklord.

  Human Allies

  Trent Ferran, Drew’s adoptive brother, former member of the Redcloaks, the Wolf Knight.

  Djogo, former captain of Count Kesslar’s mercenaries and slaver, now Drew’s friend.

  Captain Eric Ransome, former pirate captain of the Maelstrom.

  Baba Soba, a wisewoman of the Romari.

  Yuzhnik, Romari fire-eater and strongman.

  General Harker, commander of the Watch in Brackenholme.

  General Reuben Fry, archer from Sturmland.

  Bo Carver, Lord of Thieves.

  Pick, young girl thief.

  Lars Steinhammer, Sturmish blacksmith.

  Ibal, former member of Hector’s Boarguard, now allied with Bergan.

  Mack Ferran, Drew’s adoptive father, father of Trent, killed by the Lionguard.

  Tilly Ferran, Drew’s adoptive mother, mother of Trent, killed by Vanmorten.

  THE CATLORDS AND THEIR ALLIES

  The Lions of Leos

  High Lord Leon, Elder of Lions, father of Leopold, grandfather of Lucas.

  Leopold the Lion, late deposed king of Westland, father of Lucas. Slain by Lucas.

  King Lucas, self-crowned king of Westland, son of Leopold and Queen Amelie, Drew’s half-brother.

  Lord Luc, nephew of Leon, elite Lionguard.

  Lord Lex, nephew of Leon, elite Lionguard, Luc’s brother.

  Their Werelord Allies

  Lord Ulik of World’s End, the Naked Ape. Apelord.

  General Clavell, brother to General Skean. Cranelord.

  The Panthers of Braga

  High Lord Oba, Elder of Panthers, father of Lord Onyx and Lady Opal.

  Lord Onyx, the Beast of Bast.

  Their Werelord Allies

  Lieutenant Ithacus, High Lord Oba’s messenger. Vulturelord.

  Count Costa, member of Onyx’s war council. Vulturelord.

  General Skean, member of Onyx’s war council. Cranelord.

  General Gorgo, member of Onyx’s war council. Hippolord.

  Baron Overmeir of the Blasted Plains, member of Onyx’s war council. Buffalo-lord.

  Lady Giza, member of Onyx’s war council. Weregazelle.

  Their Human Allies

  Sheriff Muller, Bandit-lord of the Badlands. Member of Onyx’s war council.

  Major Krupha, Redcloak commander. Member of Onyx’s war council.

  The Tigers of Felos

  Field Marshal Tiaz, leader of the Furies of Felos. Tigerlord.

  Their Werelord Allies

  General Primus, cousin to Onyx. Pantherlord.

  Lord Urok, the Red Ape of World’s End. Apelord.

  The Cheetahs of the Teeth

  Lord Chang, son of Lord Chollo. Deceased.

  The Rat King

  Vanmorten, Lord Chancellor of Westland, most powerful member of the Rat King family.

  Vankaskan, dark magister, Hector’s former master. Killed by Drew.

  Vorjavik, war marshal, killed by Lord Reinhardt at the Battle of Stormdale.

  Vorhaas, twin of Vorjavik, commander of the Lion’s army in the Dalelands. Killed by Trent Ferran.

  Wyldermen and Their Goddess

  Vala, evil wereserpent goddess worshipped by the Wyldermen. Killed by Drew.

  Darkheart, leader of the Wyld Wolves.

  Werelords of Scoria

  Lord Ignus of Scoria, owner of the Furnace. Lizardlord.

  Count Kesslar of Haggard, slaver. Goatlord. Killed by the Behemoth.

  On the High Seas

  Sea Marshal Scorpio, former commander of the Bastian Fleet and captain of the Bastian Empress. Fishlord.

  THE BOARLORD AND HIS ALLIES

  Baron Hector, dark magister known as Blackhand, ruler of Redmire, former member of the Wolf’s Council, ruler of Ugri. Boarlord.

  Vincent-vile, the phantom of Hector’s dead twin brother.

  Crowlords

  Lord Flint, son of Count Croke, leader of the Crows of Riven. Killed by Hector.

  Human Allies

  Ringlin, captain of the Boarguard. Killed by Hector.

  Two Axes, Ugri warrior.

  PART I

  THE WOLF RETURNS

  I

  THE BULL PEN

  THE YOUNG WOMAN stopped in her tracks on the dockside, taking a moment to look back over the harbor while the steady stream of men-at-arms strode past. The fortress city of the Werebull Duke Brand had been liberated, the enemy fleet of Bastian warships decimated by the Wolf’s navy. Calico Bay was a fractured reef of blackened masts and half-sunk dreadnoughts, their twisted timbers reaching out of the waves like the fingers of drowning men. The occasional trawler weaved between the wrecks, hopeful fishermen slowly taking back their sea from the fallen invaders as they made for the deeper waters beyond. She watched as one small vessel bobbed past the Nemesis, a man-of-war that blotted the sun from the sky above. The fishermen saluted the men aboard the Nemesis, a mongrel crew from Bast and Lyssia who had sailed with the young woman in the name of the Wolf. The men waved and cheered back, hollering encouragement as the plucky boat headed for open water.

  She admired the trawlermen’s optimism, the never-say-die attitude of a people who had been prisoners within their own city for so long, already reclaiming their livelihoods just days after the tyrant Sea Marshal Scorpio had been routed. She felt hope, a strange feeling to her, and one to which she would have to become reaccustomed.

  “Are you ready, my lady?”

  Whitley turned to Captain Ransome and saw the elderly pirate captain straightening his gray whiskers. He waited for her on the crowded drawbridge that linked the fortress city to the docks beyond its walls. More of the ships under her command remained anchored farther out to sea, their human cargo having alighted in the harbor. There was no sign of Baron Bosa’s fleet out there: Whitley had expected to find the victorious Werewhale of Moga waiting for them, but alas he had been drawn back out to sea, hunting down their enemies. She brought her attention back to the procession of exotic soldiers as they strode by. Whitley had witnessed the Goldhelms of the Werepanthers and the Redcloaks who served the Lion marching across Lyssian soil, but here was a different kind of Bastian: the Furies, twin-sword-wielding warriors of the Tigerlords. They numbered fewer than their cousins, but their reputation was equally frightful. As they traversed the giant timber drawbridge into the city, the men of Calico looked warily down from their walls at the leather-clad Furies crossing the threshold.

  “You think they’re happy to see more Bastians come ashore, Ransome?” she asked, falling in beside him as they vanished into the shadows of the mighty gatehouse, the sandstone walls towering overhead.

  “If they feared us they wouldn’t open their gates, my lady,” said the old sea captain. “There may be Bastians among our number, but the men of Calico have witnessed our friend Baron Bosa annihilate Sea Marshal Scorpio’s fleet. They’re right to be cautious after what they’ve endured, but I’d still consider this a warm welcome. I doubt Duke Brand greeted the Werefish with such open arms.”

  • • •

  “I was expecting a king and they send me a girl?”

  Whitley marched through the hall known to all in Calico as the Bull Pen, as the assembled great and good parted excitedly to let her by. Captain Ransome remained at her shoulder, back straight and jaw jutting out sharp as a cliff, as they approached the duke’s table. Though old enough to be her grandfather, the former pirate had proved his worth time and again to the girl from Brackenholme, and had helped save her pelt from the jaws of the terrible Sharklord Deadeye. There was only one other soul she would rather
have by her side, and he was now far away.

  “Girl I may be, but I speak on behalf of the Wolf and my father, the Lord of Brackenholme.”

  Her voice rose over the noise in the Bull Pen as all eyes turned back to the giant fellow who had spoken from behind the long table. He lifted his bald head and snorted at the young lady as she came to a halt before him. His neck was lost in a knot of enormous muscles piled across his shoulders. He wore a long black cloak held in place by a straining gold chain about his throat, and its ermine-lined edge trailed onto the ground at his feet. It was clear by the way his court looked to him that he commanded their utter obedience. Whether this was born out of respect or fear, Whitley had yet to decide.

  “Bergan’s child?” said Duke Brand.

  “Lady Whitley, Your Grace,” replied the girl with a respectful bow. “Thank you for opening the gates of Calico to our men. Your hospitality is most welcome.”

  “Good thing you sent word ahead,” said Brand gruffly. “Chances are, had you turned up unannounced, we’d have blown you out of the bay with that Bastian blasting powder.”

  “The blasting powder that my friend Baron Bosa seized from Scorpio’s fleet, you mean?”

  The Bull prickled at this comment, but Whitley continued. “You have nothing to fear from my force, Your Grace.”

  “Who said I was afraid, little Bear?”

  “The warriors you no doubt saw in my company are allied to the Wolf, sworn into his service in the name of High Lord Tigara, the Weretiger of Felos.”

  “Strange that those you once considered enemies are now called friends, Lady Whitley,” said the duke.

  “In the winds of war, alliances can shift like the grasses of your Longridings, Your Grace; often unpredictable, and occasionally fortuitous. The Catlord Forum of Elders is broken, the continent of Bast in turmoil. The Lions and Panthers fight with one another, while the Tigers of Felos are now loyal to Lord Drew. They are our allies, Your Grace.”

  Whitley wasn’t about to be intimidated by the old Werebull. She had done a lot of growing up since the war had begun, her days as a wide-eyed apprentice scout now a dim and distant memory. What she had experienced would have broken a lesser spirit. She saw nothing to fear in Brand.