A young queen is torn between her heart's desire and the fate of her kingdom in this "first-rate" fantasy from a New York Times–bestselling author (Library Journal).
On his deathbed, the four-hundred-year-old emperor of Atlantis has reason to worry. Signar, the savage ruler of a powerful outlying state, is scheming to seize control of the empire, and not even its advanced technology can save it. But something else can . . .
From the frozen north country of Althrustri, Signar will halt his invasion if he can take the emperor's daughter, the beautiful Empress Salustra, as his bride. Such a marriage contradicts the deepest feelings of Salustra's heart, the secret wisdom of her lineage, and her sacred trust as Atlantis's queen. But the emperor has a plan: Salustra will seduce Signar and then sentence him to death.
In spite of every effort to harden her heart, Salustra soon finds herself falling in love with the lustful...