**2018 RITA FINALIST** Magic is disappearing from Fallucia and Rennic. Each country blames the other and hoards what power remains. Magical Talent is prized above all else. In Fallucia, magic is concentrated in the families of the Lords of High Places, but Lady Anlin hasn't the least glimmer of ability. What she does have is a will of steel, forged in despair and tempered by years of slavery in Rennic. She also has a plan to rescue the son taken from her while she was enslaved. She needs but one thing-a champion. Sir Faulk is a landless knight whose life has stripped him of all illusions. But he still harbors two impossible dreams-to have a fief of his own and to find someone to love who will love him in return. His fighting skills have now place the first of these dreams within reach. Chance, however, changes their destinies. Neither Lady Anlin nor Sir Faulk ever imagined their personal actions could reshape nations and overturn centuries-old beliefs.