Discovering his bride's hair is not gold, Loc reveals his true nature. Ambitious and cruel, he never coveted his ill-favored Cornish Bride. Now, with the help of his greedy mistress, Estrildis, he'll turn his gambits toward removing his aged father from the throne, so he can assume the crown in his stead. It's only a matter of time before the elder kings are dead, and then, if his dull little bride provides nothing more, she'll deliver him Pretania's crown...

But prophecies are mercurial by nature, and the Fae have their own schemes…

As Gwendolyn feared, her father is ailing, and the land is suffering. To make matters worse, the half-blood Fae she fears holds her heart has abandoned her to her fate. Although one of her Fae gifts has already proven true—the gift of reflection—the other two remain uncertain. To find her true destiny, Cornwall's new queen must face new trials at the Loegrian court, and the wiles of an ambitious mistress, in order to seek her true self and find her true love.