Lora Anders does not want to end up like her mother. A beheaded corpse buried in an unmarked grave, but when she kills a guard to defend both herself and the kingdom, her fate is sealed.
Or at least she thinks it is.
Then Lord Norris, sends word that he is on his way to Nyadith, and that the war in her mother's home country, Calindra, has ended. It has been years since Lora's grandfather has visited the palace, so he doesn't know that his daughter (Lora's mother) had been executed. Or that her father, King Everett, was the one to have her executed.
The crowned king tries to keep Norris from finding out the truth about Queen Jasara's death, but that isn't the only secret Everett is hiding.
Soon Lora is caught up in a fight for her life, and just when she thinks she is alone in her battle, she befriends a young guard who swears to protect her, even if it means that it'll cost him his life.