The Bards of Shkoder hold the country together. They, and the elemental
spirits they Sing--earth, air, fire, and water--bring the news of the
sea to the mountains, news of the mountains to the plains. They give
their people, from peasant to king, a song in common.
Annice is a rare talent, able to Sing all four quarters, but her
brother, the newly enthroned King Theron, sees her request to study at
the Bardic Hall as a betrayal. To his surprise, Annice accepts his
conditions, renouncing her royal blood and swearing to remain childless
so as not to jeopardize the line of succession. She walks away from
political responsibilities, royal privilege and her family.
Ten years later, Annice has become the Princess Bard and her real life
is about to become the exact opposite of the overwrought ballad her
fellow students at the Bardic Hall wrote about her. Now, she's on the
run from the Royal Guards with the Duc of Ohrid, the father of her
unborn child, both of them guilty of treason--one of them unjustly
accused. To save the Duc's life, they'll have to cross the country,
manage to keep from strangling each other, and defeat an enemy too
damaged for even a Bard's song to reach.