Publisher's Synopsis
"A promise, a quest, and loyalty to Napoleon Bonaparte, thrust Peter Branicki headlong into a life of adventure where courage, charisma and luck will shape his destiny." (Raclawice, Poland 1794) When his father is killed fighting for Polish independence, Peter Branicki dedicates his life to the recovery of the Grunwald Sword, a legendary symbol of Polish nationhood. However, forced to flee to England from the mayhem of revolutionary Paris, Peter joins a local cavalry regiment. But when a torrid affair with a senior officer's wife leads to a duel, Peter returns to France where incorrigible roué Sergeant Raoul Aguirre persuades him to join a French chasseur regiment. During a Royalist uprising in Paris, Peter and Raoul save Napoleon Bonaparte's life and the young Corsican general invites them to join him as he takes command of the French Army of Italy. In a stunning campaign, Bonaparte destroys the larger Austrian and Piedmontese armies, while Peter and Raoul are recognized for the capture an Austrian colour. But intent on recovering the Grunwald Sword, Peter joins the Brothers of Dobrzyn, a secret society of Polish patriots who are attempting to create a Polish Legion to fight alongside the French Army against Austria. At the final battle of the campaign, the capture of enemy guns by Peter, Raoul and the embryonic Polish Legion prompts a stunning French victory, and Peter is selected by Bonaparte to present the captured enemy colours at a magnificent spectacle in Paris. However, a romantic liaison threatens his quest for the Grunwald Sword. Can wily Raoul find a solution?
