Son of No Man Rydan, Book 1, (Paperback)

These are the first steps along the path to conquest. Tread lightly.

Born Esparan but raised in isolation, Tohmas Galanth wavers between blood and upbringing. Called north to defend the family he never knew, he must inspire Espar to rally, lest the invading Northlander forces conquer the land between the Ice Oceans and Outland Plains.
But Tohmas is not the naive commander his enemies or his allies expect. War is in his blood. He will not be deterred, though remnants of a crushed Rydan clan seek his head for a secret crime, and the Northlander chief readies a legendary dragon-wing axe for his throat.

His allies are no less eager to spill his blood. The Princes of Espar bicker for supremacy, unaware that the greatest threat to them all is Tohmas himself.