1. Death’s Head
In 1190, Roger, an idealistic young monk accused of murder, flees his abbey and joins the crusading movement to the eastern Mediterranean. He becomes part of the company known as the Death’s Heads during the brutal siege of Acre, where battle, disease and starvation strip away…
2. The Red King
After the fall of Acre, Roger and the Death’s Heads join Richard I’s army as it moves south through the Holy Land. Richard’s victory at Arsuf does not resolve the deeper strategic problem of Jerusalem, and tensions with Saladin and Conrad of Montferrat complicate the crusader…
3. Death and Glory
The murder of Conrad of Montferrat changes the political balance among the crusaders and gives Richard I another chance to pursue Jerusalem. Roger is drawn into command and defence while Ailith survives by disguise and performance, and other members of the company confront love, captivity and…
4. Return of the Death’s Heads, Part I
In 1216, Prince Louis of France invades England with the support of barons rebelling against King John. Roger of Huntley would rather see John defeated, but the king forces him into service by holding Ailith hostage. Sent to the Weald to disrupt French supply lines, Roger…
5. Return of the Death’s Heads, Part II
After King John’s death in 1216, the English crown passes to the child Henry III, leaving the royalist cause weak while Prince Louis still controls much of the kingdom. Roger of Huntley and the archer Matthew continue a hard campaign against French forces in the Weald,…