The fight for freedom begins.

The hard part should have been over. Former slave Miara and Crown Prince Aven have escaped with their freedom and their lives. From kidnapper and captive, they've grown into a powerful partnership. And they've returned to the mountain fortress of Estun, triumphant, to warn his people of the rising menace just across their border.

But escape was only the first step. War looms. Hundreds of mages still live in slavery. Neither the king nor the queen believes the people will support a foreign spy as crown princess, no matter how...