The Ragpicker King

A massacre has thrown the royal court of Castellane into turmoil. Kel, body-double to Prince Conor, sets out to hunt the traitors behind it. The only clues belong to the Ragpicker King, who rules the city's criminal underworld, and they point to a conspiracy against the royal family.

The plot is led by the man who is due to marry the woman Kel loves. That ties his private feelings to the investigation, and he cannot pursue the traitors without risking the people closest to him.

Lin has claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, a wielder of powerful magic. Her people's charismatic leader now intends to test that claim. If she fails, she is exiled, and only more deception can protect her.

Conor then demands that Lin heal his father, the King, whose madness comes from an ancient magic. She feels its pull, just as she feels her growing passion for the prince.

This is the sequel to Sword Catcher, a fantasy of court intrigue, magic and a city on the edge. Lin and Kel have to decide whom to trust, and one false move means death or worse.