The king is dying and Prince Makoa wishes to replace him. The mighty Heralder King of Osteanus is privy to many time-honored traditions including the right to call upon the four underqueens as consorts.

But Makoa is only one of many dozens of competing princes eager for the same prize. To complicate matters even further, the woman who raised him, Underqueen Avina, would be amongst his consorts were he to succeed.

When ambition and desire conspire, a young prince finds himself straying from the b...