Alone in the world, Mirra does what she needs in order to survive.  And when her actions lead her to the gallows before her thirteenth year, she latches onto the one person offering salvation, Lord Julian the King’s Viper.  But being one of his “serpents” comes with its own hardships.  Lessons in poison, espionage and assassinations push her to her breaking point, unleashing a power not seen for thousands of years.
 

     Hiding her dangerous new gift, she accepts her role as the headstrong princess’s secret bodyguard.  Now she must balance between a world of lies and lost knowledge.  And destiny forces her to make a choice. She will have to figure out if she can live with the repercussions of her actions or crumble under the weight of unwanted expectations.  But with demonic forces clawing their way to the surface, ready to devour every spark of life, she may not have enough time to figure it out before the world turns to ash.