When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger.

Princess Cassandra of Araluen has already survived one assassination attempt, but when a second attempt proves that the deadly Scorpion Cult is involved, Hal, his Heron Brotherband crew, and the Ranger Gilan are dispatched to ensure her safety by launching a preemptive strike against Scorpion Mountain and its cult of assassins.

In 1896, an archaeological dig unearths an ancient trunk containing manuscripts that confirm the existence of Araluen Rangers Will and Halt and tell of their first meeting and some of their previously unknown exploits.

On a mission to rescue Empress Justina's son from his pirate kidnappers, Hal and the brotherband crew set sail amid stormy seas to the island of Santorillos where they encounter a formidable obstacle, a caldera.

Maddie, Will Treaty's fearless young apprentice, aided by Hal, Thorn, and the rest of the Heron Brotherband, tries to rescue her mother, Princess Cassandra, who is trapped in Castle Araluen.

Chasing the Skandian slave-traders who kidnapped Will and Evanlyn, Ranger Halt and warrior student Horace find themselves in the frozen northern islands, where they battle a ruthless black-clad knight as they attempt to rescue their friends.

When a massive storm at sea blows the Brotherband crew off course to a land so far west Hal cannot recognize it from his maps, they face an unknown enemy.

"Will Treaty is a shell of his former self, and his first apprentice may be the only one who can save him"-- Publisher.

"When Maddie and Will get a message that dire wolves--huge misshapen changelings, much larger than regular wolves--have been marauding and attacking through the hills and valleys of Celtica, the Rangers are sent on a mission to unravel just who or what is behind these dangerous creatures. Will isn't anxious to return to Celtica, especially approaching the Rift. And as they travel, Maddie must grapple with their growing dealings with the spiritual...

Will, now a full-fledged Ranger responsible for a sleepy fief, finds a new adventure as he seeks the traitors who poisoned the king, investigating rumors of sorcery, and trying to rescue his friend Alyss, who is taken hostage.