David Kenner

At the end of his tether, the gravedigger's son desperately tries to help his lord, Knight Emicho. An urgent mission, over the treacherous Western Mountains and into the mysterious Swamplands, is his only option. Yet the greatest dangers he faces are betrayal, distrust, and despair.

Farin and his congenial demon stinker are concentrating on his attempt to become a good squire. A chance at fame comes with the Great Knight Tournament, but the gravedigger’s son learns the sad news of his father’s death and must travel back to his village to bury him. Meanwhile, the bounty on the escaped orphan Aross’ head is growing by the week, and she is being hunted down by the town watch of Hubstone. At the harbor, she strikes up a friendship with the artist Ki.

Farin, the gravedigger’s son, lives in the medieval village of Heap. The 18-year-old is an outsider who is bullied and ostracized by the villagers. His father has succumbed to a life of drinking, and the young man has no option but to take over the job of gravedigger. But Farin’s life takes a dramatic twist when the village witch dies. As he prepares her for burial, he finds an amulet hanging around her neck, and he can’t resist trying it on.