Aelfhild hates attention. She lives in the shadows. She serves the future Queen. She keeps out of the way of the current King. And she has, for her life so far, managed to avoid all the backstabbing of the royal court. But when the assassins come looking for her mistress' head, there's only one choice: run. Swept into a world of longships and bloodthirsty raiders, of sky-splitting storms and heaving seas, of old gods and treachery, Aelfhild has to find her footing—and fast. She’ll tangle with scheming lords and stand alongside stoic shieldmaidens. She’ll raise a mug with drunken warrior-poets and set sail for unknown lands with a crew of restless misfits. It’s going to take all the strength and courage she can muster to keep the true heir to the throne alive long enough to see the crown. And more than a little luck. This is the story of how Aelfhild learned to step out into the light. This is the story of how she learned to stand and fight. This is her story. Runes and Red Sails is the first installment of the Queenmaker series, an epic fantasy adventure set in a world influenced by Scandinavian and Old English legends.