Ilario: The Stone Golem2007

The second volume of THE LION’S EYE is a stunning historical fantasy from acclaimed fantasist Mary Gentle, set in the secret history of her award-winning ASH series.In the first volume Ilario is fostered by Federico, an impoverished Iberian noble, who plans to gift Ilario to the king for favour. At 15, Ilario joins King Roderigo as the King’s Freak, but while learning the ways of the court, Illario has another lesson to study: abandonment and betrayal. For Rosamunda, Ilario’s birth mother, has arrived - and the secret of Ilario’s shameful birth must be kept hidden. Fleeing a murder attempt, Ilario runs to Carthage, where the Penitence shrouds the sky in darkness... and a strange and awful destiny awaits.Part Two, published two months later, will follow Ilario from Carthage into an adventure spanning continents, from treacherous negotiations and intrigues in seductive Venice, to a fraught return to Iberia, and a final confrontation with destiny.