A kingdom teetering on the brink…

Coren and Zofie have finally won back control of the kingdom. But it is an incomplete victory. Her evil brother has left the treasury depleted and the granaries empty. With deep winter upon them, starvation is weeks away. The neighboring kingdoms have refused assistance and watch them with greedy eyes ignoring the Dark Avenyts imminent attack.

The enemy draws near…

One of the Dark Avenyts springs a trap on the princess, leaving her a mindless shell which none of the healers can repair. A representative from the far eastern Kuiojia Empire conveniently offers a cure, but the price is an ancient artifact called the Griffin’s Key. One that the Dark Avenyts are willing to kill for.

A friend’s dark past…

Coren must confront the fact his skills are woefully inadequate to protect his beloved princess. If he is to find the Griffin’s Key, and travel to the empire for her cure, he needs to gain those skills fast. An unexpected source offers Coren a solution involving forbidden magic and dark memories. But the person offering it has a mysterious past—one that got her banished from the empire itself. With the stakes so high, Coren is forced to answer the question—

Does he dare trust her?