Publisher's Synopsis
Isabel Callahan lived a simple life on a farm in Ashborne with her parents. Her dream of marrying her childhood friend on her eighteenth birthday was shattered by a deadly plague that swept through their kingdom. Fleeing with her friend Jane to a new realm ruled by the magic of a deceased monarch, Isabel was captured by Lord Kyran Thorel. The noble lord forced her to compete against nobles in a lethal tournament to claim the crown of Verran and control an immortal army confined within the ancient magical Amulet of Aemodran, accessible only to the reigning queen.
Each queen's demise initiates a fresh tournament, leading to a new ruler. The cycle will persist until a queen can rise above her desire for power and greed to destroy the amulet, freeing the enslaved army. Isabel emerges victorious in the tournament and assumes the throne, though her commoner status makes her an unpopular queen. Feeling the urge to liberate the army trapped within the magical artifact, she is unsure how to achieve this task. Surrounded by enemies, Isabel has few trustworthy allies. She forms a bond with Siobhan, a powerful magical being, in the hope of learning how to destroy the amulet and release the army before she falls victim to assassination, perpetuating the cycle once more.
