In Fedosian court, love is deadlier than war. Of the nine great houses of Fedosia, nine houses of alchemy, none hate each other more than the Red Shields and the White Guards. The queen is a Shield, the archmage a Guard, and bad blood has been brewing for a century. Sofia is a Guard, wed to a count twice her age with three stepdaughters who despise her. Forbidden from leaving the house, she spends her days speaking...