The Deepening Dark

When Rhianna consigns her husband's body to the flames and takes the throne of Haydutia she unwittingly sets herself on a crash course with the Bulkaran empire, which has subsumed all of Western Tuath. Only in Eastern Tuath is their influence limited and General Bolksta intends to crush these proud horsemen of the northern plains. A violent encounter at Hawkmoon leads to her overthrow and show trial but Bolksta's plans to execute her go awry when a wandering band of elves save the day and rescue her.
In the netherworld between madness and sanity Rhianna's fate hangs by a thread while all about the world explodes in an orgy of blood-letting as Bolksta unleashes his goblin auxiliaries upon the villagers. All that stands between them and the slaughter of the innocents are the women of the She Bear. Highly trained but overlooked by their menfolk these battle maidens must work hard to hold back the tide of maneaters and rally rival lords under a common banner. It is a time of heroes and heroines, villains and cowards, and in the deepening dark a faery sword is returned to the world and a fire in the east is unleashed.
The Deepening Dark is book one in the Outlaw Queen series.