The exiled queen
Princess Raisa ana'Marianna flees her own wedding to seek refuge at Oden's Ford, a military academy where she hopes to learn the skills needed to rule. Meanwhile, Han Alister travels to the same school to master his newfound magical abilities while hiding his identity from those who want him dead. As their paths cross in the mountains, they must navigate a world of political schemes and ancient rivalries that threaten to tear their kingdoms apart.
This is the second installment in a four-part series, and the narrative directly continues the character arcs and political conflicts established in the preceding volume. Reading the series in order is necessary to understand the complex history of the magical artifacts and the ongoing power struggles between the primary factions.
The events of this series take place in the same world as the author's later series, The Shattered Realms. That subsequent series is set a generation after these events and features the descendants of several characters introduced here.