King of Ashes
(Book)

Maps on lining pages.

For centuries, the five kingdoms of Garn coexisted peacefully. War engulfs the world when Steveren, King of Ithrace, is betrayed by his brother kings. Ithrace, the Kingdom of Flames, is destroyed by battle, ending an ancient balance of power. As a Free Lord, Daylon Dumarch owes allegiance to no king, but knows it is unwise to betray any of them. When an abandoned infant with a royal signet ring is found secreted in Daylon's pavilion, he realizes that the child must be the missing heir of the slain King Steveren. Daylon keeps the baby's existence secret, sending him to be raised on the Island of Coaltachin, where the Nocusara, powerful and lethal assassins, are trained. Years later, a young man named Declan, an orphan of unknown parentage, earns his Masters rank as a swordsmith and unlocks the secret to forging King's Steel. This precious knowledge is also deadly, and Declan is forced to leave his home to safeguard his life. Landing in Lord Daylon's provinces, he meets the unknowing heir to the Ithrace throne, and they soon discover their fates, and that of Garn, are entwined.