The Sovereign's Treasure

Cannons roar, thick smoke from gunpowder blankets the earth, cannonballs smash the walls and towers of the fortress. Cavalry charges swiftly, sabers gleam—and at sea ships fly under a blue flag with three golden crowns, the banner of the Swedish King Charles Gustav.

It’s 1656. The Baltic Sea has become nearly a Swedish possession, and Swedish troops are everywhere. In the midst of the Russo-Swedish war, the Russian army—led by the very Tsar—heads to Livonia to lay siege to and capture Riga. The task is difficult, and for the operation to succeed, a “man of our own” is needed among the besieged. Such a person becomes a young squire from Tikhvin, Nikita Petrovich Buturlin, who has already proved himself in the captured Swedish city of Nien.

After taking Nien, Buturlin’s mission is to penetrate Riga unnoticed, find something to do for himself, make useful connections, gather information, and pass it on to the Russian army.

However, on Nikita Petrovich’s path stands a cunning girl—many consider her a witch. Her gray eyes, unnoticed, captivate our hero…

Besides, at the beginning of the war, the royal treasures were stolen—among them, especially important to the royal family, an icon…