Beloved bastard of an unloved king, Fiona will do anything to please her father, even studying magic though she never shows more than a spark of talent. But the plague that grips their city sends her to work with the dying, as enmity builds between the two peoples her father has brought together.

Struggling to find a cure for the plague, Fiona discovers that its emergence is no coincidence-and that her scorned suitor may be leading a conspiracy that will end in genocide. Even her father wears a false face, and every new tragedy reveals another secret set to shatter her life and her kingdom.

Much to the dismay of her relatives, Elaine Isaak withdrew from art school to pursue her own ends in business and writing. She founded Curious Characters in 1997, designing original stuffed animals and small-scale light-hearted sculptures. She attended the Odyssey writing workshop the same year. Now she divides her time between business and writing, and being the mother of a delightful daughter whose first phrase was "gargoyle book", and a charming toddler who loves the keyboard almost as much as his mother does. She occasionally squeezes in time for other endeavors like creating wearable art, hand-weaving, and climbing the walls at the local gym.

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