Pick up where Merry left off in book one.

Merry had never been a good liar. She is, however, adept at keeping secrets: she's been passing herself off as human for years.

But that ruse and her position as a Guardian Cadet are called into question when the ElvenQueen summons Merry to fulfil a role she ran away from years ago: Elven Lord.

If she wants out, she has to travel to the Elven Cout — a viper's nest of lies and schemes that press against her unwilling bond with a lie-detecting, curse-breaking amulet — to find a replacement before the upcoming Mid-Spring Ball.

To deal with the Court and the pain of returning to a house that was once her prison, Merry has to turn to the last person she would expect to help her.

And then assassins begin to strike at leaders on the Rubilse.