Darkness is creeping in from the edges of the empire. A threat that has been all but lost to history is rising again. Cassia Auralius is the first female Heir of the Empire of Metus to not abdicate her right to the throne. Behind her is a line of warrior-kings and sacred laws. Before her is an uncertain future painted in blood. Opposed by her father and challenged by her brothers, Cassia must first prove herself worthy of the throne gifted by the gods. Ancient trials--trials she must not fail--will test her strength, both of her mind and her heart. The first trial--three long travel years cut off from her family and her own nobility--will soon begin. If Cassia can survive, she will be one step closer to her throne. A throne that will soon be under a threat she could never have imagined. Cassia will need allies, both common and strange to defeat this threat. If she fails in this, she will lose not only her throne, but her empire. Amazing cover by @StormRidden Copyright © 2019

A dangerous and filthy lie is prevalent throughout the land of Ralium. Nobles and Kings would have their subject believe that the kingdom resting in a time of peace. They say there is no war. No attacks. That there is no death, yet within this supposed peace there is a darkness creeping over the land. Men adorned with gilded snakes for tattoos wander the land in numbers, dragging broken peoples in chains behind them. These men, known as the Venom, serve the Savage King. The leader of Venom and the Royal family were tied by a peace treaty, one that ended a war many years ago. It was how Venom managed to prowl on the land. The people had achieved their peace, while Venom pillaged lesser villages. The people achieved their false peace, while countless lives are ripped from their families. Yes, they achieved their heartless peace, as people were reduced to nothing more than objects. However, the presence of an escaped slave had shattered their peace. By telling them of an emblem that rested on the Savage King's war table. |Book One of the Archives of Ralium trilogy| Special thanks to @pennywithaney for helping me with the blurb and for making the cover!

Everyone has their place in the world. Fate is inescapable so it does little good to fight it. Lena Rivers has been told this her entire life. She's a farmer's daughter. One day she will marry, have children, and be a farmer too. That's the way things work. Lena absolutely hated the idea of being a farmer or the wife of one. There had to be more to life than what everyone told her. However, that seemed to be the life she was destined for. Until the traces of a large beast, larger than anyone in her town had ever seen, were discovered on the outskirts of the forest. The mayor of her small town hires Aust, an elfin King's Ranger to root out and destroy the beast. When Lena meets him she finds herself absolutely taken at the sight of his longbow and massive stag and falls in love with the prospect of becoming a ranger. However, if she wants to be of any use to find the monster that's terrorizing her home then she has a lot to learn. Rated PG-13