Mancella has defeated her tyrannous father and ascended the throne, but she faces a mammoth task to unite the fractured and fighting realms he left behind. By her side is Silver, whose fierce loyalty is the only thing keeping Mance together as her new magic threatens to tear her apart. She is grappling with a power much more dangerous than Silver knows - and she’s keeping secrets. When news reaches them of a proposed alliance to stop the war, Mance can’t help but consider the opportunity. But the alliance involves a strategic marriage to the arrogant leader of a neighbouring realm, a choice that not everyone she trusts can endorse, especially as rumours start to swirl of an enemy plotting her downfall from the treacherous Broken Citadel. As tensions rise between the realms and war looms ever closer, Mance and Silver must choose their next moves carefully, or risk the safety of their people - and the realm itself. But what is the price of freedom when their hearts are on the line?