[The White Hawk 03] • Sacrifice

The dynastic wars are over. The House of York reigns supreme after the shattering victories of Barnet and Tewkesbury, and King Edward IV can look forward to a long and happy reign.

For Lancastrian loyalists such as the Boltons, there is no peace or happiness. James is a prisoner in the Tower, and has been for the past twelve years. His brother Martin is a mercenary fighting for the King of Hungary. Elizabeth, their niece, lives under a false name as a prostitute in the stews of Southwark.

Everything changes when King Edward dies unexpectedly, leaving his crown to an underage boy. The young Edward V is controlled by the Woodvilles, his mother’s relatives, who seek to use him as their puppet. Edward’s uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, is named as Lord Protector. Suspicious of the Woodvilles, Gloucester takes drastic action to protect himself and seize the person of his nephew.

Across the Channel, the few surviving Lancastrians sniff an opportunity to restore their fortunes. Their last hope is Henry Tudor, the exiled Earl of Richmond, who possesses a faint claim to the throne. While the House of York threatens to tear itself apart, Richmond slowly gathers allies and plans to invade England. From the cold ashes of defeat, the Boltons are handed an opportunity to redeem their fortunes. Victory or death awaits as they fight like never before to claw back what was lost.

The White Hawk (III): Sacrifice is the third and last instalment of David Pilling’s series set during The Wars of the Roses. It also includes THE DEVIL’S DUE, a new short story that introduces a later generation of Boltons in the English Civil War.