Difficult times are said to produce unusual heroes, and in Lavia the years of the mid-tenth century have been very difficult, indeed.
     Aaran Bereshere, cousin to the invalid Queen Merry, has proven her abilities and courage, time and again. But a woman in a position of great power can not rest easy. The tasks set before her are Herculean in their magnitude.
     Barbarians approach the eastern borders, threatening the safety and freedom of the hospitable Lavians.
     Carras, the kingdom to the west, continues to encroach on established boundaries. The Carran king, Richard, seeks Aaran's death by sending brigands to entrap her or conspiring to murder her by poison.
     Merry's uncertain health dwindles and she remains childless. Her inevitable death will bring internal strife as one nobleman or another endeavors to capture the empty throne, then defend his claim against the others.
     How to guarantee Lavia's future? How to resolve the throne's succession peacefully? How to succor civilization against the savages, who have filled the world with their devastation in the centuries since Rome retreated from its former glory? How to quell her own well-guarded fears and gut-gnawing doubts?
     Aaran has plenty to keep her busy, but additional complexities crop up at every crossroads. In her search for a suitable aspirant to rule Lavia, she instead finds Christophe. A soldier who, with his steadfast loyalty and solemn honor, will attempt to alter the course she had chosen so long before. A lover for whom she has no place in her personal life or in her crusades.
     The warrior woman's hedonism and arrogance spawn an enemy. Serge Demaris, the Princess Marguerite's husband, emerges as Aaran's newest nemesis. Appalled by a woman holding the reins of power, he plots to destroy her.
     At Merry's death, Richard of Carras stays his hand no longer. Aaran is sent by Serge, Maggie's newly appointed Supreme Gen­eral, on a suicidal campaign to harry the Carran army in the north, but through trickery and the help of her northern allies, she returns victorious with a treaty which ensures Lavian security and regains past losses.
     Aaran's carefully nurtured plans come to fruition. But there is a price to pay for this success. Fate will demand a terrible tribute from Aaran for the immoral and nefarious methods used in achieving her goals. Surviving the consequences will require every bit of her notorious cunning and renowned luck.

The White Lady
    The Adventure Begins
    Prelude

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