First published 2019
Elias spreads two mysterious maps across the table as his friend Ulises points to the hidden riddle marked on each one. The maps appear to show clues about the missing princes of St. John del Mar, two boys who were kidnapped eighteen years earlier and presumed dead. Elias recognizes the mapmaker's hand. The charts seem to be drawn by his own father, Lord Antoni, who disappeared on the same day the princes vanished. As the nineteen-year-old royal explorer and the king's closest friend, Elias cannot ignore what the maps might reveal. He sets out on an expedition past the Strait of Cain into unknown waters, accompanied by the king's cousin whether he wants her help or not. The journey becomes a race to solve the riddle before an unseen enemy can stop him. Elias must use his mapmaking skills and watch for danger at every turn. The truth about what happened to the princes and his father may be more dangerous than anyone imagined. Some secrets have stayed buried for good reason.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, race-against-time
Setting: St. John del Mar, Strait of Cain
Period: 18 years ago
416 pages · Paperback · Clarion Books