Dangerous Sanctuary — Michelle Diener

Available as an eBook, Dangerous Sanctuary is a short story set between In a Treacherous Court, the first novel featuring Susanna Horenbout and John Parker, the “King's Blade,” and Keeper of the King's Secrets, the second novel a featuring Susanna and Parker, published in April 2012.

Artist Susanna Horenbout is commissioned by King Henry VIII to paint a picture of the ceremony in St. Paul's Cathedral to commemorate the capture of the French king Francis I in battle. While working on a sketch before the ceremony begins, Susanna overhears a bitter nobleman hinting at violence to the King, and she realizes she might be the only one who can stop an attack on Henry. As the King makes his way to the cathedral though the cheering crowds, Susanna desperately tries to find a way to save his life -- while saving the nobleman from the certain death his anger will bring down upon him.