Princess Cassandra of Araluen has already survived one assassination attempt, but when a second attempt proves that the deadly Scorpion Cult is involved, Hal, his Heron Brotherband crew, and the Ranger Gilan are dispatched to ensure her safety by launching a preemptive strike against Scorpion Mountain and its cult of assassins.

Oona, nearly eleven, has longed to sail with her sea captain father but when she stows away on his ship headed to the far North, she faces great adventure and danger.

Skandian outcasts Hal, Stig, and others do battle at sea against the Wolves and the Sharks, in the ultimate race across icy waters where not everyone thinks of the competition as play.

"Ximena Reale has spent most of her life training at La Academia to join the Cazadores, seafaring hunters who track down pirates. But her future is uncertain, thanks to her parents' questionable reputation. They were traitorous pirates, and though they were executed when Ximena and her sister were young, they permanently damaged the Reale name in the eyes of the Luzan Empire. Ability alone won't make Ximena a Cazadoro--or earn her the coveted Cazadoro...

While in Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, Joey and Tank board a whaler that is on display and soon find themselves part of its ghostly crew.