"It's the harshest winter anyone can remember. The vast waterways of the fens are frozen solid, transformed into an ice road. The [cold and ice] are ideal for a surprise invasion by young King Arnald's banished uncle. Wickit Monastery is under threat too. A bitter illness has struck down almost all the brothers. And a ghost walks across the snow. Can the orphan Pip and Perfect, the stone gargoyle, save the Brothers, their friend the king, and their country?"--P. [4] of cover.