Not knowing friend from foe. Thomas Kestrel struggles to unite his people, And convince ancient warriors to rise again and fight a common enemy. In The Claiming of the Highlands, the seventh book in the epic sword and sorcery fantasy series The Sylvan Chronicles, Thomas Kestrel, Lord of the Highlands, navigates the allies and enemies circling him. Struggling with his feelings for the Princess of Fal Carrach, a woman who betrayed him, he tries to focus on driving the reivers from his homeland. At the same time the power of the Shadow Lord continues to grow, and the High King puts in place a new plan to eliminate the Highland Lord and claim the Highlands for his own. Can Thomas find a way to bring the Sylvan Warriors back into the Kingdoms before it's too late? Can he protect the people and the Kingdom he has just freed from the High King? How much more must Thomas risk to defeat the Shadow Lord?