Daughter of the Drowned Empire

Lady Lyriana Batavia is third in line to the Seat of Power in Bamaria, a position of wealth but not safety. Bamaria is ruled by the Lumerian Empire, survivors of a celestial war whose island sank in the Drowning. All Lumerians must submit to the Emperor's strict laws governing magic—he decides what magic can be practiced and what remains forbidden, including who dies for wielding forbidden powers. Lyr's own cousin was executed for using the wrong kind of magic. For years, she has protected her older sisters by helping them conceal their illicit magic. When Lyr participates in the ceremony revealing her power, she discovers something that means banishment from the Empire. Faced with death in exile and separation from her sisters, Lyr accepts a deadly contract: she has seven months to train as a warrior and pass the Emperor's brutal test of strength without magic. Her trainer is Lord Rhyan Hart, a feared warrior in exile and a man she has secretly loved since childhood—forbidden to her in every way. As rebel forces and an invading army destabilize Bamaria, her family's secrets threaten exposure. Surviving the training and saving her sisters may require sacrificing her own heart.