Novels by Stephanie Miller

KAEL I have fought in battles that I can count. I have seen a lot of bloodshed. I have lost friends and seen kingdoms fall. I have been hurt badly that I should have died. Nothing hurts more than the silence that has settled over Stormclaw. The twins were. Now everyone is quiet. No one talks unless they have to. Even the servants walk quietly as if they are afraid to disturb the grief that hangs over the castle. I stand on the wall looking out at the forest. My hands grip the stone until my knuckles turn white. My sons are there somewhere beyond those mountains. It still feels strange to think about it. I missed their words, their first steps, and all the little moments that fathers are supposed to treasure. Serena took them from me. She took my mind, my kingdom, and every chance I had to know them. The weight of that truth is heavy in my chest. I wish I had realized sooner what she was doing. I wish I had fought harder. Footsteps echo behind me. I do not turn around. "I know yo

LYRAThe older nursemaid said she was sorry. I did not really hear her.I had already walked past her.My eyes were looking around the orchard but I did not want to believe what my heart was telling me.The little blanket they had been playing with was on the ground under the apple tree.One of their wooden swords was in the grass and it looked like they had just forgotten it.The orchard looked very peaceful like nothing was wrong.My world had just fallen apart.I said "no" quietly.I did not want to believe this was happening.We had thought we were ready for something like this.We had guards we had changed the nursery and we had checked all the servants and every part of the castle.We had told ourselves that Stormclaw was the place.Then Serena had still found a way to get in.Ares got to me before anyoneHe did not ask if I was okay because he could see it in my face.He asked the nursemaids what had happened and his voice was steady. I could tell he was very angry.The younger

The council chamber had never felt smaller.Maps covered the long oak table between us, their edges held down by carved wolf figurines and smooth river stones. Kael was discussing the safest route for reinforcements from the eastern border while Ares listened, occasionally moving one of the markers to reflect a new scouting report. I tried to focus on the conversation, but my thoughts kept drifting back to the boys.I wondered whether they’d finished breakfast or if they’d talked the nursemaids into letting them play in the gardens again. They’d discovered a family of rabbits near the orchard a few days earlier, and ever since then, they’d insisted the rabbits were “their soldiers” protecting the castle.The memory almost made me smile.Almost.Ever since Serena’s last attempt, I hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that danger was still lurking just beyond our reach. We’d increased the guard, searched every corridor, questioned every servant. For days, nothing had happened. Slowly,

SERENAThe first thing I heard was laughter.Not the kind that echoed through royal banquets or victory celebrations.This was lighter. Freer.The laughter of children who had never known a day without being loved.I stopped behind the cover of a flowering hedge and watched them.The twins were chasing each other through the gardens, weaving around marble statues and climbing over low stone benches as though the entire kingdom belonged to them. Their nursemaids followed several paces behind, trying—and failing—to convince them to slow down.One little boy paused to pick a white flower before proudly tucking it behind his brother’s ear.The other burst into laughter.For a heartbeat, I watched.So these were the children who had turned kingdoms upside down.The heirs everyone feared.They looked… ordinary.Small.Innocent.They had Lyra’s silver eyes.Kael’s stubborn chin.Neither of them understood that armies were already killing one another because of the blood running through their

SERENAPatience had always been my greatest weapon.Swords dulled. Armies grew tired. Even the fiercest warriors eventually bled.Patience never did.For four days, I disappeared.No attacks on Stormclaw. No scouts lurking along the borders. No messages delivered by Raven. I gave Lyra exactly what she needed most after weeks of living in fear.A chance to breathe.By now, she’d convinced herself she’d won a small victory. The failed attempt on the nursery had made her tighten security, just as I’d expected. Every corridor leading to her sons was now crawling with guards. Every entrance was watched day and night.She believed she’d outsmarted me.The amusing part was that she’d done exactly what I wanted.“The reports?”Raze entered my tent carrying a leather satchel stuffed with parchment. Dust clung to the hem of his cloak, evidence he’d returned from riding through the night.“They’ve tripled the guards outside the nursery.”I smiled.“And?”“They’ve doubled the watch on the eastern

SERENAPatience had always been my greatest weapon.Swords dulled. Armies grew tired. Even the fiercest warriors eventually bled.Patience never did.For four days, I disappeared.No attacks on Stormclaw. No scouts lurking along the borders. No messages delivered by Raven. I gave Lyra exactly what she needed most after weeks of living in fear.A chance to breathe.By now, she’d convinced herself she’d won a small victory. The failed attempt on the nursery had made her tighten security, just as I’d expected. Every corridor leading to her sons was now crawling with guards. Every entrance was watched day and night.She believed she’d outsmarted me.The amusing part was that she’d done exactly what I wanted.“The reports?”Raze entered my tent carrying a leather satchel stuffed with parchment. Dust clung to the hem of his cloak, evidence he’d returned from riding through the night.“They’ve tripled the guards outside the nursery.”I smiled.“And?”“They’ve doubled the watch on the eastern