Wizard's Shield — Kenneth McDonald

Sovereign is a magical shield that gains awareness in a wizard's laboratory, imbued with consciousness but without any knowledge of who or what it is. Given to a warlord seeking power over the chaotic northern lands, the shield struggles to come to grips with its existence, tormented by scraps of memory from what feels like a past life. Sovereign becomes a tool in the struggles for power between the northern warbands, but that struggle draws the attention of the powerful lords of the south, who send their best -- the notorious mercenary band, Valen's Wolves -- to investigate. With warlords, mercenaries, and wizards all interested in the fate of the shield, will anyone finally uncover its secret?