This is not the time for the fight to end. Now is when the fight will begin. This is the time to regain what has been lost. Alera Queen of a fallen kingdom, secretly in love with the enemy. Shaselle Daughter of a murdered father, rebel with a cause. One lives behind the former Hytanican palace walls and walks the razor's edge to keep the fragile peace in her beloved homeland. The other slips through the war-torn streets, seeking retribution for her family's tragedy, following whispers of insurgency. Both face choices that will separate them from those they cannot help but love. As their stories intertwine, a conspiracy ignites that may end in slavery or death--or lead to freedom anew, if only each can face what must be sacrificed.