Bones Beneath the Prison, Blade Above the Border

Eight years after Luke Hanson dies in prison for alleged treason, barbarians attack Darvon. Only then does the empress, Clara Winslow, remember the once-legendary general and personally visit his prison cell. When she orders him to lead the army once more, the guards tell her the truth that he has been dead for eight years. Refusing to believe it, Clara assumes he has escaped. She issues an ultimatum—he must return within three days, or she will execute his entire family.