Shield of the People — Marshall Ryan Maresca

The second novel in the Maradaine Elite series blends fast-paced high fantasy and political intrigue. "I love seeing good-hearted characters who keep true to their moral centers even in a gritty world. Shield of the People is wonderfully emotionally complex while also barreling through fantastically-paced action. Highly recommend!" - Cass Morris, Author of From Unseen Fire

After saving the Druth Parliament, Dayne Heldrin and Jerinne Fendall find themselves on the margins of the Tarian Order: lauded as heroes in public but scorned and ignored in private, their future in the Order hazy. Dayne's new assignment further isolates him from the Order, and Jerinne is hazed and bullied at the bottom of the initiate rankings.

It's election week in the city of Maradaine, celebrating over two centuries of freedom and the foundation of the reunified modern nation, bringing parades, revelry... and protests. A dissident group called The Open Hand-and their mysterious, charismatic leader, Bishop Ret Issendel-seeks to disrupt the Parliament elections with their message of secession and dissolution.

Despite orders to stay out of the public eye, Dayne and Jerinne are drawn into the intrigue of the Open Hand and kept apart by dark powerful conspiracies that brew around them. Dayne and Jerinne must fight for their own principles and protect the will of the people as the election is thrown into chaos.