"This is the Empire. This is what I am up against." Sulwyn has never met her parents, the King and Queen of the Empire. She knows them only as the despots who drowned the previous High City in blood and rose to power, leading with carnage, demanding obedience, and leaving her to die at birth. Since learning the truth surrounding her birth, Sulwyn vowed to be the voice for those her parents silenced; under the name Kintana, a protector of people and a star of hope for all those in Vartugaul. But when she is unexpectedly betrayed and trapped in the Empire, she must survive by playing a deadly game of manipulation, pretending to embrace her parents' tyranny while fighting to fix the rot they created. However, killing the King and Queen will not be enough. Unbeknownst to all, there has been another enemy in the shadows since the beginning, pulling the strings that unknowingly led all the key players to the stage. Has Sulwyn become a piece in an even more dangerous game? Aided by her parent's most feared guards and surprising allies, Sulwyn must decide if she should fulfill her vow to the people and continue to protect them, or if she should pursue revenge and plunge the Empire into chaos.