Arden Icaros comes from the poorest of five noble bloodlines and would rather keep dirt under her nails on the family farm than wear fine dresses at court.
She expects one dull ceremony to grant her earth magic and send her home, until a dagger is placed in her hands and an impossible choice brands her an omen of war.
Half the nobility wants her dead, assassins track her every move, and her only chance of surviving Antares lies with the most feared man in the kingdom.
They call him Bishop; no one remembers the name he carried before he dedicated his life to an order that kills first and questions later, and he remains utterly loyal to the realm hunting her.
He should execute her, yet he offers sanctuary, and the longer she stays, the more dangerous he becomes—his secrets could topple kingdoms, and his need for Arden could ruin them both.
