Sword of the Deceiver — Sarah Zettel

PRINCESS NATHARIE OF SINDHU was celebrating her womanhood ceremony when Prince Samudra, the powerful brother of Hastinapura's emperor, arrived demanding tribute, and she, the eldest unmarried royal daughter, was forced to swallow her pride and journey with Samudra and Divakesh, Hastinapura's high priest, to the seat of the empire.

At court, Natharie is adrift in a swirl of political intrigue and dark sorceries. Feeling isolated in this hostile arena, she slowly realizes that the enigmatic Prince Samudra, a figure of towering menace, may himself hold conflicted loyalties . . . even as he represents the military might of the empire.

He is her greatest concern . . . until she discovers that Divakesh, in his fervor to spread the empire's bloodthirsty religion, has incited the empire to invade Sindhu, making her native land but the first conquest of a long. devastating military campaign. And while she cannot fully trust Prince Samudra, she realizes, as each day brings war closer, he may be her only hope to prevent a war that could destroy all she holds dear.