AustLit

'France, 1206

'When Philip of Vercy returns to his lands from his crusade in the Holy Land, he discovers that his life and his country have changed utterly while he has been gone.  He has lost his beloved wife, now his only son is dying.

'He hears about a young woman, Fabricia Berenger – some call her a witch – who lives far to the south, in the Languedoc. People say she can perform miracles. He sets off to find her.

'But the south of France is home to a heretic Christian sect, the Cathars, and the Pope has ordered a crusade against them. The ‘witch’ who Philip is searching for has sought refuge amongst them, in the mist-shrouded mountains.

'If he’s going to find her, Philip and his liege men must battle their way into hell itself. As the Languedoc convulses into flame and revolt, Philip is drawn inexorably into a vortex of passion, vengeance and mystery.

'One more step, and he knows he can never, ever, go back.'

Source : publisher's blurb