The first installment in a series from Vivienne Mathews, this anthropomorphic tale is sure to strike a chord with fans of Redwall, Watership Down, and Warriors. Centered on a rivalry between two otter captains and the ancient threat that brings them together, it is an adventure-fantasy on the open sea, described by the author as “Wind in the Willows with pirates.”

A haunting mist sits on the harbor beneath Secora Tor.

It hides a secret that only Captain Marshall, accomplished military figure and heir to the greatest explorer in the kingdom’s history, can unlock. When he receives a cryptic message from a shocking source, the stoic otter sets out on a dangerous journey to save his queen, never suspecting that McKinley the Marauder, notorious pirate and general miscreant, might have ambitions that could put his mission at risk.

Now, accompanied by a gypsy mercenary, a dishonored knight, and a family of thieves — and tailed by the evil wolf Baron Von Ulric — the Captain finds their paths converging in an uneasy alliance, becoming a race against time as they travel through mythical tales to the legendary island of Mosque Hill, each of them hoping to reach an ancient artifact before it is too late. Each of them desperate to stay ahead of the secrets that they keep.

What will they lose along the way?

And where will they turn when they realize that nothing is as it seems?