There exists a kingdom set upon an isle, surrounded by a sea no one has ever traveled beyond. The Kingdom of the White Sea it is called, or simply the kingdom, for they have no other name for it.
The individual Reaches—Northerlands, Southerlands, Westerlands, and Easterlands—once ruled themselves. Two centuries past, men calling themselves the Rhiagains washed upon their shores, claiming to be gods. From gods, they became kings.
But not all in the kingdom are so entranced by the foreigners who stole the crown.
The Warwicks, lords of the Southerlands, clashed immediately with the Rhiagains, who claimed their mineral-rich peninsula as a rightful prize of their new reign. Generations of strife between Rhiagains and Warwicks followed, resulting in land grabs for the kings and an extensive accounting of losses for the Warwicks and their people.
Farther north in the Easterlands, a much different picture can be painted. The Quinlandens, the lords of the sylvan kingdom high in the mighty trees of Whitechurch, have enjoyed a more advantageous arrangement with the crown. Their proximity to Duncarrow—the rocky isle upon which the Rhiagains reside—has granted them opportunities to remain in the king’s esteem and favor... including gifts of the gold mined and stolen from the Southerlands.
“Bootlickers” is the Warwick name for the Quinlandens.
“Treasonous eels” is the Quinlandens’ stinging response.
Lords Khoulter Warwick and Chasten Quinlanden trade these barbs from the comfort of their keeps. The two men have never met.
This is about to change.
King Khain Rhiagain summons the lords and ladies from all four Reaches to a grand celebration in Termonglen, the kingdom’s neutral ground.
The Quinlandens rejoice over an opportunity to not only win more of their king’s favor but for their peers—their competitors—to witness the heights to which they have risen.
The Warwicks know a trap when they see one. To refuse would be an act of treason. Complying is to be beset on all sides by their enemies.
But it is not only the lords and ladies invited by the king’s command; their children are called out by name, their attendance compulsory.
Yesenia Warwick, the only daughter of Lord Warwick, is among those names. Bold, brave, and defiant, she has never been well acquainted with conformity, and she sees no use for it now, as she and her brothers prepare to enter a den of vipers.
Corin Quinlanden, the meek and oft-forgotten middle child of Lord Quinlanden, is also on this list, to his family’s mortification. Denying the king’s wish would undo all they’ve worked for. They have no choice but to bring him.
In celebration of the birth of my heir, the invitation says.
But a celebration of birth is not why Khain has summoned the lords, ladies, and their children to Termonglen. He has something else in mind, an event that what will come to be known, for generations, as the Epoch of the Accordant.
By the time the lords and ladies realize the king’s deceit, it will already be too late.
For them.
For their children.
And for the kingdom.