This is Book 3 in The Black Phantom Chronicles.

As Arnacin is making his way home to Enchantress Island, war is brewing in nearby Elcan.

No one has tried to conquer Ansky since the Sanguinea Peace Treaty. Yet Wilber, king of Evfel and regent of Ansky, plans to succeed… from the inside. Purposefully nurturing bitterness and pride in his young nephew, Prince Evan Maxwell, Wilber hopes the people will reject their prince in favor of Evfel’s rule.

After being orphaned, Evan’s only solace is in the horses of his father’s stable. He loathes the idea of assuming the throne and fears being forced into accepting his duties. Yet that changes when the wild stallion Darkfire enters his life and Evan meets the people of the magical Ice Woods, where his quest to discover his destiny begins.

What follows takes Evan and Darkfire into the heart of Enchantress Island and the secrets sleeping there.