For six years, peace has reigned over the kingdom of Tredare. Lord Kern, the dark mage, is imprisoned in a magical tomb. Or so everyone thought – until one night when Kern appears and life in Tredare changes for the worst. Especially for innocent Maren, who may be the only one who can save the kingdom she loves before it's destroyed by a man bent on revenge.For six years, peace has reigned over the kingdom of Tredare. Lord Kern, the dark mage who murdered the king and queen eight years prior, is imprisoned in a magical tomb. Or so everyone thought – until one night when Kern appears during a ball at the royal castle, and life in Tredare changes for the worst. Especially for innocent Maren.Unbeknown to her, Maren’s father has a past history with Kern, and now she’s crossed Kern’s path, getting in the way of something he wants. Angry and boiling with dark magic, Kern vows to destroy those who dare defy him – including Maren, who protects the current King and Queen.Despite Maren’s best efforts, Kern lays siege to Tredare for three years. Years Maren spends plotting revenge on the man who’s determined to ruin Tredare.

For six years, peace has reigned over the kingdom of Tredare. Lord Kern, the dark mage, is imprisoned in a magical tomb. Or so everyone thought – until one night when Kern appears and life in Tredare changes for the worst. Especially for innocent Maren, who may be the only one who can save the kingdom she loves before it's destroyed by a man bent on revenge.

After a three-year siege, Lord Kern, the dark mage, is dead. Magic has left Tredare, and life is almost back to normal.For everyone except Maren, that is.Before the siege, an attack by Lord Kern left Maren near death and with a sliver of magic buried deep inside her. Now, for reasons Maren doesn't understand, that magic has been triggered, giving her the ability to "see" the truth: that her world is nothing more than a magical façade; and that the kingdom's hero may not be a hero at all.But this gift of sight comes at a high cost. Maren is in constant pain, and fears her own death is imminent. Plus, no one believes her suspicions that another Dark Mage has risen, and that Tredare may be in just as much danger as it was when Kern was alive.With the country's future in the hands of a man who's vowed revenge on its king, Maren must convince someone else of the truth. Unfortunately, the only person powerful enough to help is also the one man she can't trust; the man she almost...