Thief of Slaves (Nagaro Chronicle)

The Nagaro Chronicle fantasy saga tells the story of a man whose world comes to know him as Nagaro. Raised in obscurity by a noble lady, his idyllic life was shattered at seventeen by powerful men bent on controlling him for reasons he could only guess at. Enslaved by a will-controlling drug, he was forced to marry Edrovir's princess and his drugged behavior earned him the derisive title "idiot prince." From this bondage he escaped by unknown means only to be captured by warriors from the neighboring Mahuk Baar and chained to the oar of a war galley. After he uses his gift for swordsmanship to lead his fellow slaves to freedom, his experiences set him on a life-course of opposing slavery and injustice as the "noble pirate" Captain Nagaro. Despite his growing fame, he is determined to keep his past a secret in order to escape the psychic trauma of his drug-ordeal and the clutches of enemies who must believe him dead.

In this fourth book of the Nagaro Chronicle, Nagaro has accepted a captain's commission in the Royal Fleet of Edrovir, believing it offers him a chance to save more galley slaves from death by working with Kuran, the Lord of the Fleet, forcing the surrender of marauding Mahuk warships rather than sinking them. He arrives in Lankura with his friends Taru and Pavo, two of his ships, and half his pirate followers in tow. All the men are sworn into Fleet service and Nagaro soon finds there are unexpected pleasures and hazards in his new position. He does temporary duty as Fleet sword master, rediscovers his boyhood home, deepens his friendship with Princess Nevien, and runs afoul of Edrovir's greatest swordsman, Lothard Hurn. Then he tries his hand at international diplomacy and things get really dicey. He finds himself facing Edroviran politics head-on - not to mention Emperor Baalkir. Lives are at stake, including his own and that of his devoted Mahuk-born friend Pavo.