Blood of the mantis - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Following on from Empire in Black and Gold and Dragonfly Falling, Blood of the Mantis is a vivid fantasy full of intrigue and action, from the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author, Adrian Tchaikovsky.A dread ritual casts a deadly shadow . . .Driven by the ghosts of the legendary Darakyon, the seer Achaeos has tracked the stolen Shadow Box to the marsh-town of Jerez - but he has only days before this magical artefact will be lost to him forever . . .
Meanwhile, the forces of the Empire are mustering for their next great offensive. Stenwold and his followers have only a short time in which to seek allies before the enemy soldiers are on the march again, conquering everything in their path. And if they cannot hold them back before spring, then the hated black and gold flag will be flying fly over every city in the Lowlands before the year's end. And should the Shadow Box fall into the hands of the power-mad Emperor, then nothing will save the world from his relentless ambition.The Shadows of the Apt series continues with Salute the Dark.