In the Kingdom of Elarion, Duke Alaric Thorne is a brilliant commander whose victories at Ironridge Pass have made him both feared and revered. Bound by duty, tradition, and a bloodline marked by the Golden Flame, he lives a life carved by expectation.
But beneath the great oak tree of the castle meadows, a forbidden friendship blooms between his mischievous little sister Rhea and a bold commoner girl named Liora, a child who dreams of becoming a knight in a world where women are forbidden from bearing the sword.
When Rhea's ancestral necklace, a powerful relic tied to Elarion's ancient lineage vanishes during one of their secret meetings, Alaric unknowingly steps into a chain of events that will alter the fate of the kingdoms.
Years later, Liora returns to the capital disguised as a young soldier, now skilled, fearless, and determined to repay a debt she has carried since childhood. Her path crosses violently with Alaric's on the battlefield as political tensions rise between Elarion and the rival kingdom of Varyn, whose shadowy spymaster, Lord Caswyn, fans the flames of war from the dark.
As kingdoms vie for alliances and lesser realms are bought and betrayed, Alaric begins to question the true enemy— the swords before him or the secrets within his own walls.