Drest, 12, has been raised by Da and her older brothers, who are training her to be part of their war-band in medieval Scotland. When they’re attacked by knights from Faintree Castle, only Drest, in hiding, escapes capture. Emerick, a wounded young knight from the invading band left for dead, can’t get back to Faintree without Drest’s help. She agrees, developing a plan to rescue her father and brothers by trading Emerick for one of them. On the road with Emerick and Tig, a boy from a healer’s family who joins them on their journey, Drest begins hearing things about her family that she doesn’t want to believe. She’s never thought to question the stories that she’s been told, until now. At the same time, Emerick turns out to be more than the knight he claimed to be, and it’s clear his almost-death in the attack on Drest’s family was treachery from within his own family at Faintree. This fast-paced adventure exploring loyalty, friendship, and family features a winning hero in Drest, who is smart and skilled, while her empathy, and demands for honesty from her family, force her father and brothers to reassess everything they thought they knew about her, too. (Ages 9–12)

***A New York Times Editors' Choice***

A Scottish medieval adventure about the youngest in a war-band who must free her family from a castle prison after knights attack her home--with all the excitement of Ranger's Apprentice and perfect for fans of heroines like Alanna from The Song of the Lioness series.

One dark night, Drest's sheltered life on a remote Scottish headland is shattered when invading knights capture her family, but leave Drest behind. Her father, the Mad Wolf of the North, and her beloved brothers are a fearsome war-band, but now Drest is the only one who can save them. So she starts off on a wild rescue attempt, taking a wounded invader along as a hostage.

Hunted by a bandit with a dark link to her family's past, aided by a witch whom she rescues from the stake, Drest travels through unwelcoming villages, desolate forests, and haunted towns. Every time she faces a challenge, her five brothers speak to her in her mind about courage and her role in the war-band. But on her journey, Drest learns that the war-band is legendary for terrorizing the land. If she frees them, they'll not hesitate to hurt the gentle knight who's become her friend.

Drest thought that all she wanted was her family back; now she has to wonder what their freedom would really mean. Is she her father's daughter or is it time to become her own legend?