A humanitarian mission into unfriendly stars A training cruise under the watch of a fortified fleet base The closing jaws of a trap years in the making

ROGUE MAGE TURNED INTERPLANETARY ENVOY Three years ago, as Ship’s Mage of the starship Blue Jay, Damien Montgomery was pursued to the edge of human space by both the agents and enemies of the Mage-King of Mars — before being brought in from the cold. Now, trained in new skills by the Mage-King himself, Damien has been sent to the planet Ardennes alongside Alaura Stealey, Hand of the King. A rebel movement there has destroyed cities fighting a Governor seemingly lost to corruption. But not all on Ardennes is as it seems. As allies becomes enemies and an entire world comes apart in chaos around him, Damien will find both his skills and integrity tested to the utter limit.

Some soldiers are the shields of innocent souls Others are the fanatics of their cause And for them...no war is ever truly over! Tempered on the anvil of the war against the secessionist UnArcana Worlds and tested against the evil of Project Orpheus, Mage-Commander Roslyn Chambers has risen through the ranks of the Royal Martian Navy to serve as second-in-command of one of their most prestigious battlecruisers, Duke of Magnificence. A desperate call for help sends Roslyn and her new ship deep into the frontiers of Protectorate space, where they discover that hold-outs of the UnArcana Worlds' fleets have returned to plunder innocent ships across the Fringe. To protect the innocent and serve her Queen, Roslyn Chambers must rise to the task before her. She must learn to command-both herself and a warship of the Mage-Queen of Mars!

A war fought in the shadows A conspiracy shattered in fire A moment of weakness... When politics are played for blood. The destruction of the secret archive of the Royal Order of Keepers on Mars has left Damien Montgomery, Hand of the Mage-King, with his enemies defeated, his lover dead-and his questions unanswered. When he seeks out the remaining Keepers for answers, he discovers only violence and death in their strongholds. Someone else is hunting down the survivors to make sure they never answer Damien's questions-or anyone else's. As a wave of murder sweeps Mars and the consequences of the Keepers' conspiracy sink home, Damien is summoned before the Council of the Protectorate to answer for the deaths of two other Hands. In the political heart of the Protectorate of Mars, he finds he may be forced to choose between honoring the oaths he swore and preserving the survival of the Protectorate itself