A seven-novel series of mystery and suspenseful adventure during the epic struggle between the Islamic Empire of the Ottomans and the Christian Kingdoms of Eastern Europe. Two momentous events took place during that epoch, which dramatically changed the course of history: the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the last vestige of the once glorious Roman Empire, and the fall of Hungary in 1526, the most powerful kingdom in the Christendom standing between the Ottomans Western Europe.
The first novel of the series: The Sword and the Shield of the Realm
The year is 1448, and Transylvania and Wallachia, the sword and the shield of the Kingdom of Hungary, are about to be invaded by an immense army marching under the banner of Sultan Murad II, who calls himself The Shadow of Allah upon the World.
Sir Gregor Dahr Altair, a member of the secret fraternity of the Excubitors, a powerful force which could change the outcome of the war through their influential positions within the Ottoman Empire and the Christian Kingdoms, is in his way to warn the Transylvanian Royal Jude when he is trapped in the fortress of Roten Turm by the Ottoman army of Vidin, which lay siege.
In Wallachia, Lorian Comosicus, the heir to a legacy represented by a mysterious Draconic ring, and his twelve-year-old brother, Silvan, are sent across the border mountains to the fortress of Roter Turm with a secret message from the conspirators who killed Vlad Dracul of Wallachia for switching allegiance to the Ottoman Empire.
After narrowly evading capture by the Sultan’s forces, the boys get lost in the vast forests of Transylvania. Miraculously, they meet Sir Altair the sole survivor from Roter Turm. Learning Lorian’s identity and mission, he leads the brothers ahead of the tempest, rushing to reach the great trading city of Hermannstadt, which Sir Altair learned was the next objective in the Ottoman’s invasion.
The second novel of the series: The Field of the Blackbirds
By the end of 1448, Sultan Murad II, the man who conquered most of the kingdoms in the Balkan Peninsula, can eradicate the Kingdom of Hungary, the most powerful European imperial sovereignty standing between him and the rest of the Christendom, which he swore to vanquish.
Learning about Murad’s plan during the Battle of Hermannstadt, SIR GREGOR DAHR ALTAIR counsels Johann Hunyadi, the newly elected Regent of Hungary, to gather all his forces and march against the City of Edirne, to force Murad to turn around and defend the throne city of the Ottoman Empire. It is a desperate act for Hunyadi’s army is outnumbered more than five to one, but is the only chance to save his kingdom.
With the invasion looming ahead, Sir Altair and Lorian cross the mountains into Wallachia in pursue of Thor Husam al Din, who during his secret mission at the behest of the Grand Vizier saved Lorian’s brother, Silvan, from the dreadful fate of slavery and took him to Targoviste. Along the way, Lorian learns more of the secret brotherhood of the Excubitors and Sir Altair’s true mission: to prevent the Ottomans from conquering Europe and dominate the Mediterranean trade routes.
Making their way to Targoviste, they also rescue Liana, the girl that lived with Lorian’s family and with whom he grew up, taking her as a page to Sir Altair. In Targoviste, many adventures befall them. The city’s Wallachian guard and citizens resent the presence of the Ottoman garrison which came to place on the throne Prince Vlad Dracul, as a puppet voievod. When Lorian is accused of taking part in the rebellion that assassinated Dracul’s brother, Mircea Basarab, Sir Gregor decides to seek his pardon from the prince himself, in return for warning him that he is nothing more than a bargaining chip with which Sultan Murad hopes to convince Vladislav Dan to deliver the Hungarian army to his forces at the upcoming battle in return for the throne of Wallachia. To his surprise, Sir Gregor finds not a prince but a prisoner …
The adventures, punctuated by Wells’ historical insights and factual depictions of life in eastern Europe at the time of the setting, is told with excitement and humor, and will keep the reader on the edge of his seat with intense interest, building up to the climatic Second Battle of Kosovo, where the fortune of the Christian World will be decided, and the surprising conclusion of this book.
