Midnight Falcon (David Gemmell)

Synopsis of "Midnight Falcon", second book of "The Rigante" by David Gemmell: Bane, the illegitimate son of the Rigante king Demonblade, found acceptance across the seas only to have it stripped away by a cruel swordsman. Now, fighting as a gladiator in the arenas of the Empire, Bane lives for one thing: revenge. But much more is at stake, as armies of the Stone prepare to march on the lands of the Rigante.

Bane the Bastard is the illegitimate son of the Rigante king who men called Demonblade. Born of treachery, Bane grew up an outcast in his own land, feared by his fellow highlanders, and denied by the father whose unmistakable mark he bore the eyes of Connavar, one tawny brown, the other emerald green. Hounded from the country of his birth, Bane found acceptance across the seas only to have it stripped away in an instant by a cruel and deadly swordsman. Now fighting as a gladiator in the blood soaked arenas of the Empire, Bane lives for one thing: revenge. And he pursues his goal with the same single minded determination that won his father a crown.But more is at stake than a young warrior’s quest for vengeance. The armies of the Stone are preparing to march on the lands of the Rigante. The fate of human and Seidh alike will be decided by the clash of sword and by the bonds of twisted love and bitterness between a father and a son . . .

They called him Bane the Bastard - though none said it to his face. Born of treachery, his name a curse, he grew up among the warriors of the Rigante. They valued his skills in war, but they feared the violence in his heart. And when, as a Wolfshead and Outlaw, he left Rigante lands, they breathed sighs of relief. But Bane would return, the destiny of the Rigante in his hands, the fate of the world resting on his skills with a blade. Midnight Falcon continues the tale of the Rigante, which began in Sword in the Storm, and tells the epic story of Bane, the bastard son of Connavar the King, and his quest for vengeance in a world of blood, honour, betrayal and love.

Born in the storm that doomed his father, Connavar grows to manhood among the mist covered mountains of Caer Druagh, where the Rigante tribe dwell in harmony with the land and its gods. But beyond the border, across the water, an evil force is gathering strength, an unstoppable force that will change the world beyond all recognition. Haunted by malevolent spirits and hunted by evil men, Connavar sets out on a spectacular mission to save his people. In this latest tale of love and honour, friendship and courage, from the master of the genre, Gemmell explores the intriguing worlds of Celtic myth and earth magic.