the Queen of Cities: A Byzantine Epic Intrigue, Survival, and Fate an Empire

The Queen of Cities continues the epic journey of Rotko, the Tavastian warrior introduced in Kings Without Land. Far from his northern homeland, he now serves as a mercenary in the personal guard of the Roman emperor. Constantinople dazzles with wealth and power-but Rotko remains haunted by the vengeance of the Grand Prince of Rus and by memories he cannot escape.Then a frontier battle leaves him wounded, alone, and stripped of his past. Beside him lies a jewel-bright war banner-and no answers.Seeking refuge on the estate of Maria Argyropoulina, a renowned trainer of racing chariots, Rotko enters a world of speed, rivalry, and dangerous ambition. As his body heals and fragments of memory return, he uncovers whispers of a conspiracy reaching into the heart of the Queen of Cities itself-one that could shake the empire to its foundations.Rich in intrigue, danger, and the roar of the Hippodrome, The Queen of Cities is a gripping tale of identity, survival, and the price of destiny-and Book Two of The Tavastian Trilogy.Finnish author J. S. Halla brings the Viking Age and Byzantium to life through vivid detail, emotional depth, and a visceral sense of the past.