A Kingdom Ruled By Fear

With the beginnings of a rebellion by dissident nobles imminent, King Cassien of Sorl agrees, somewhat uncharacteristically, to talks with the dissident leader Baron Gadric. But the baron's arrival with nearly two thousand soldiers indicates more than just talks. Tensions between Cassien and Gadric mount as it becomes clear both are playing a dangerous game. Caught in the middle of these two feuding nobles is the Segrata, the king's secret police headed by Commissar Fadrinar. Their orders say that Gadric is the enemy, but the actions of the king lead to questionings of loyalties by many in his service. But with the king's forces on the back foot and the Segrata in disarray, Keph - Fadrinar's most trusted Segrata agent - finds himself hating and fearing both the king and the baron, in a bleak middle ground with no obvious exit. It is only through the actions of his oldest friend Deel and an unlikely young lady from the city streets that he is able to return with a definite sense of which side he should be on, and who he should be fighting against.