Fire and Sword — Simon Brown

A Kingdom at War

In the kingdom of Grenda Lear, four magical Keys of Power augment the authority of the monarch. On her deathbed, Queen Usharna divides the Keys among her four children, hoping to bring continued peace and strength to the kingdom. But her children are instead driven apart by mistrust and violence, and Grenda Lear is thrust into civil war.

Prince Lynan, falsely accused of conspiring in the murder of his older brother, King Beraiw, flees for his life to the Sea of Grass, where he and his companions find sanctuary among the nomadic Chetts. But Lynan needs more than sanctuary--he needs an army to help him regain him regain his rightful place in the kingdom. But raising an army will be difficult, as the Chetts are not united behind their young ruler, Queen Korigan, and Lynan is showing disturbing effects from his exposure to the lifesaving blood of the wood-vampire Silona.

Lynan's sister, Areava, now Queen of Grenda Lear, believes she must bring her fugitive brother to justice if she is to safeguard her reign and protect the kingdom from armed rebellion and outside invasion. There is little opportunity in such dark times for romance, yet Areava falls deeply in love with a visiting prince, Sendarus. But there is danger in love as well as war for such a young, inexperienced queen.

For a day of reckoning is coming for Areava and Lynan, a day that may tear apart Grenda Lear....