The Ethical Swordsman

In the final adventure in the King's Blades series, one of the Blades is asked to go undercover to hunt down a possible threat to the crown of Chivial. Niall's father raised him to be a man of his word, and Niall has tried to live that way throughout his life, even during his training to become a Blade.  But things have changed. King Ambrose has died. His daughter, Malinda, is now queen and behaving suspiciously. When she makes Niall Prime of the Blades, he is asked to swear an oath to protect her—and then is made a spy.  Now Niall faces a mission that challenges everything he believes and must place his life on the line for a leader he's not certain he can trust . . . Praise for Dave Duncan  "Dave Duncan is one of the best writers in the fantasy world today. His writing is clear, vibrant, and full of energy. His action scenes are breathtaking, and his skill at characterization is excellent." —Writers Write "Duncan excels at old-fashioned swashbuckling fantasy, maintaining a delicate balance between breathtaking excitement, romance, and high camp in a genre that is very easy to overdo." —RT Book Reviews