https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07VF7MPZ1 In an empire torn apart by a longstanding conflict between the clergy and sorcerers, the childless ruler dies, and his wife disappears mysteriously. Lord Demos, the nephew of the emperor and a contender for the throne, is assigned the search for her. Soon, however, he finds that he’s been pulled into a game, the rules for which are out of his grasp. On the other side of the continent, a pious duke breaks his sacred vow and makes a move for the throne as an act of love, while a mercenary leader torn between her own interests and an old debt attempts to seize power in her city. They’re all pawns in a game, only they don’t know who’s really playing it.