Evon Desconse has spent most of his life at the vaunted Hero Academy. As Marla Shrike’s best friend, he has seen his share of adventure. How else could it be when Marla is prophesied to save the entire world?

Danger abounds in Dizhelim in these dark days, and he is better equipped than most to face it. But his true desire is to focus on his study of prophecy and magic. Up until now, battling monsters has been a necessary chore. He has been trained to be heroic, after all.

I am Rhiannon.
This is my origin story.

My original name was Rhianikki, firstborn of Pharaoh. My bare feet sank into the sands of Egypt when the pyramids were new. My mother was a divine queen who died giving birth to me and they say the walls of the palace trembled when they took me, wailing, from her cold arms.

I was special and not just by virtue of my inherent divinity.

Can a lady-in-waiting resist the pressure to marry a stranger?

Cairstine Grant has spent two years carefully cultivating a reputation at court that is sure to drive away any potential suitor. Traumatized from an attack as a young woman, Cairstine is bound and determined never to marry and never to be subjected to a man’s control. She’d rather become a nun than a wife. But one obstacle stands in her way: her younger sister can’t marry the man she loves until Cairstine marries first. When Cairstine’s father refuses to consider her choice to become a nun, can Cairstine convince an unsuspecting friend to pose as her betrothed? Can she overcome the scars from her past and form a genuine partnership with a man she was never supposed to fall in love with?