The Council of Blades

The Council of Blades is a novel by Paul Kidd. It is the fifth in The Nobles series.

"War cares little for the troubles of the aristocracy. As a terrible new weapon obliterates the age of courtly battle, an intelligent but plain princess and her companions — an addled young inventor and a kleptomaniac firebird — find themselves forced into a battle for survival in a suddenly very deadly world."