A brutal contest determines the King. Does a god control the outcome? "This novel was a rollercoaster. So much action in such a short amount of time had me unwilling to put it down!" - Julie, Bookshelf Adventures "An entertaining, quick read that would be great for fans of Eragon and the Chronicles of Narnia." - Claire, Once Upon a Yarn The Drasque Empire is more than a millennium past the death of its namesake, the god-king Rigolous Drasque, but his presence still looms heavy. In a time when whale oil and muskets have replaced torches and swords, Drasque's ancient way of thinking still prevails, forcing men to kill other men for a mere chance to be king. The blackbirds have delivered the letters: the contest horns will bellow in two days time. Succession will not be broken. Losik's carriage raced up the narrow mountain road in the early morning just before the sun broke. Theo unlatched the trunk he had stowed away in and watched the sun rise  from the back of Losik's carriage as his whole world faded away into the distance. He had done it, finally he was outside the walls. Once the carriage arrived in Ironhead for the contest, he would beg King Rev for entry into the Royal Guard academy and be free from Losik's control.  He was naive to think his journey to freedom would be anything but treacherous. Theo was barely alive when the Sigandar found him. He survived the fall, but his body was broken. The Sigandar hated the Empire, yet the clan's Sha found mercy for the young, dying boy. When Theo regained consciousness he found himself in the middle of a civil war. As the Sha races Theo to their god, a powerful faction of blood magic warriors will do anything to stop her from saving Theo.