The viceroy's captain - Anthony Conway

The only way to prevent a war is to get the diamond back and Sir Oswald Masterman of the Imperial intelligence service knows the right man to do it - Captain John Caspasian of the Twelfth Gurkhas. Rebellious, insubordinate and astonishingly effective, Caspasian is glad to be off desk duty and back in action. With his hand-picked assistant, Gurkha sergeant Ganga Limbu, and selection of deadly weaponry, Caspasian sets off for Beshandu disguised as the escort for a routine tribal council.

When Caspasian learns that the party will include a hot-headed young woman doctor, he has misgivings; when he first spots snipers, he fears the worst. But it isn't until the prince attacks that Caspasian realizes how impossible his mission is.