The Inadequate Heir

Zarrah, a soldier raised as heir to the empire of Valcotta, is driven by the belief that the rival Veliant family killed her mother and by her resolve to avenge the many lives lost in the generations-long Endless War with Maridrina. Given command of the contested city of Nerastis, she sets out to destroy the Maridrinian forces she opposes. A chance encounter with an anonymous Maridrinian man leads to repeated secret meetings, during which she finds unexpected common ground—and begins to question whether her acts of war are justice. When true identities come to light, she faces a choice between a chance at peace and continued war.