Description

Fainting at his own coronation doesn't augur well for a new king's prospects. Neither does the fact that said new king is neither a warrior nor of noble birth, but a gardener, with more aptitude for mixing mulch than debating diplomacy.

So Sigbert the First – who was as surprised as anyone when the oracle declared him fit to inherit the crown – knows that he's in for a rough ride. The first assassination attempt confirms his suspicions that certain sections of the court are just as unhappy about his ascendance as he is.

But Sigbert soon finds out that poisoned dinners and bombs beneath the throne are the least of his problems. Throughout the kingdom, there is talk of a shadowy cult which aims to eliminate not only the king, but the oracle himself.

To make matters worse, Sigbert finds to his horror that he's falling in love with his chancellor. That wouldn't be a problem – sinister and acerbic has always been Sigbert's type – if it weren't for the fact that his chancellor is almost certainly trying to assassinate him too.

M/M, fantasy