Cyrene Strohm is a Queen's Affiliate, a high-ranking official of the
court of Byern, with power and privilege to spare. But she's also a
keeper of dangerous secrets: like the fact that she holds the heart of
the King, and that she possesses magic in a world where magic no longer
exists. Determined to discover what this means and how to use her
newfound abilities, Cyrene sets off for the distant land of Eleysia, an
island nation where Affiliates are strictly forbidden from entering. But
the journey is perilous, and the destination may mean utter ruin, as
Cyrene comes to learn that everything she's been told her whole life -
about her court, her homeland, and even herself - are bound in a
beautiful lie.