One rejected destiny. Two lives magically bound in blood. A quest for freedom that will topple a kingdom.

Audrey has long endured the cruelty of her father, the Duke of La'Angi. Infamous for his brutal suppression of the masses, the Duke holds Audrey's fate, and the kingdom, in his fist.

Driven by rage at insidious social conventions known as the locways, a fierce warrior takes up the role of Audrey's handmaid. In secret, Audrey trains in the ways of the half-myth, all-women, nomadic Matri'sion?who stand for everything the Duke despises.

"The deadliest weapon is the shattered blade" ~ Matri'sion proverb.

Audrey finds herself at the center of alliances and assassination attempts as rebellion looms, but after a chance encounter with a dark and brooding knight, her deadly secrets may be her undoing.

While a mysterious plague ravages the land, the Duke leads the kingdom into another era of deadly war. Audrey must choose whether to seek her own freedom, or risk everything to help the people of La'Angi.

Can Audrey escape her father's blood-soaked shadow, or will the locways prevail?