Sealanders don't believe in gods. Meeting one on a clifftop one morning does, however, alter your perspective. Plucked from his comfortable home and sent to be bard to King Rhofarn (a man with little interest in music) Caedun is lonely and terrified. But the god has given him a task - to ensure the emergence of three strong kings and hence guarantee the survival of the northern nations. And Caedun would really try to do it, if his own survival wasn't looking alarmingly uncertain... In another country a fostered child reveals an astonishing magical talent - or maybe not so astonishing, given that his father is the most powerful mage living. Tiel hopes his ability will earn him a place at the Castle as a mage scholar; maybe he'll even find some friends there. Unfortunately no one told him there was more to being a scholar than magic, and whenever his father teaches him anything, it seems to involve an awful lot of bruises. Bard and mage grow up on a continent sliding inexorably to war. The storm is coming, and no-one, man or god, can hold it back. Note: this book contains adult themes. It also contains multiple plot lines, many points of view, and a lot less fighting than an Abercrombie novel. There are some good songs, a couple of tavern scenes, the inevitable magical sword and even a dancing horse, but happy endings are not guaranteed.