Jiana Awakens — Eben MacManus

Twenty years old, Lady Jiana, beautiful but headstrong and somewhat tomboyish, is four years past prime marriage age. When her father, the Duke of Saturnia and Lord of Greenstone Castle dies under suspicious circumstances, Jiana is not ready to become Duchess of the province. Since no woman has ever ruled Saturnia, her two uncles become involved in a plot with a the neighboring state of Terra Minor to wrest the province for themselves (each planning to dispose of the other at some point). The Emperor of Terra Minor has plotted with Hemon, a mage old enough to have been involved in the War of Fire 200 years ago, to overthrow the Neptunia, the citadel of the mages, and to aid in his attack on Saturnia. Captured by her uncle's forces she is carried away from her home at the crucial time everything she knew and relied upon was under attack. Facing nearly insurmountable odds and the disloyalty of her relatives, Jiana eventually comes to rely upon the aid of a mysterious mercenary and the goodwill developed in her common people from the beneficent reign of her father. Forbidden by religion and law from marrying a man lower than a commoner, Jiana cannot help herself from beginning to fall in love with him. But the odds that they can survive, much less become a couple are heavily against them. In a world where giant fierce Vikens rule the seas, where dwarves and elves still live, Jiana learns that she is a witch. But will her new found powers and the nearly supernatural strength of her mercenary be enough to keep them alive?