"In Hallasholm, Stig is contesting the annual Maktig competition to decide Skandia's greatest warrior. But a late-night knock on the door brings someone Stig never expected to see again, along with a request the Herons are hard-pressed to refuse: a rescue mission of epic proportions. Across the ocean, the southern city-state of Byzantos is plagued by a crew of pirates who've kidnapped the son of Empress Justina. Slipping out of Hallasholm under the...

When a young foreign boy, Gustavus, who is with them on holiday is kidnapped, Phillip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, Jack, and Kiki the parrot follow the kidnappers to a strange land and uncover a plot to assassinate the king.