The Heir: Blood and Iron

The king called it a reward.Rayan Karnell knows better. After twelve years of war, the scarred officer returns to Silver Bay—the ruined port his family once ruled. His family is dead. The warehouses stand empty. Creditors have stripped the docks, and the crown has left him fifty gold marks and a collapsing manor. Enough to begin. Nowhere near enough to rebuild. Behind an iron mask, Rayan must learn a different kind of warfare. Bread buys labor. Shelter earns loyalty. Every bargain creates a debt—and every debt binds someone to the city he refuses to bury. But a working harbor means money. Money means power. And the men who profited from Silver Bay’s collapse will not welcome its recovery. He survived the king’s war. Now he must survive the king’s reward.