At twenty-one, Vaelis Evermere is already the youngest Knight Captain in Valedorn's history. Quiet, observant, and far more dangerous with a sword than his slight frame suggests, Vaelis has spent his life learning how to protect a small kingdom surrounded by powers far greater than itself. Then the Eastern Empire turns its attention toward Valedorn. What begins as border conflict soon becomes a war against an enemy with more soldiers, more resources, and commanders every bit as capable as Vaelis. Retreats become battles. Victories come with names attached to the cost. And every decision places thousands of lives on opposite sides of a scale no commander should ever have to hold. Vaelis does not fight for glory. He does not believe his enemies are monsters. He simply believes that the people entrusted to him deserve to come home. But as the war grows larger and the choices become crueler, protecting Valedorn may demand more from its young Knight Captain than anyone has the right to ask.
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