From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler... A wise king keeps his friends close and his enemies closer, even if one is his younger brother. When a valuable heiress disappears from Kingfountain in the middle of the night, King Eredur summons the poisoner Ankarette to bring her back alive at all costs. Both of his younger brothers want her—one to control her fortune and the other for love. With the help of a world-weary soldier from the Night Watch, Ankarette must delve into the darkest corners of the city before the wrong people find the lost widow first. Blood will be spilled. Brothers will come to blows. And once again Ankarette must try to stop her beloved kingdom from tearing itself apart.

From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler... True loyalty is revealed in difficult times. When trouble comes again to the court at Kingfountain it is trumpeted by Eredur’s defeated foe, Lord Devereaux. He was the ally of Queen Morvared who nearly vanquished Eredur at the fog-choked battle of Borehamwood. Now he has seized the fortress of Averanche and plans to hold it at all hazards and unite disaffected countrymen under his battle flag. Ankarette Tryneowy, the poisoner of Kingfountain, must once again partner with John Thursby, a night watchman and once Devereaux’s sworn man, to aid Lord Horwath in bringing the rebel to heel and punish him for his crimes. But treason is in the air and the attack on Averanche is just the preamble of a gambit that could end in Eredur’s first defeat and third time losing his crown. For the Fountain has already whispered the king’s brother will be king.