Aniri’s life is supposedly perfect—she’s beloved by the people of Jungali and betrothed to their handsome prince. He’s a noble barbarian who’s pledged to use his skyship for peace, but the threat of a second skyship in the hands of rival country Samir looms over their impending marriage… and Aniri begins to question her rush to marry a man she barely knows.
When the Second Daughter of Dharia is poisoned, Aniri tells her soon-to-be husband she must rush off to Samir to care for her beloved sister. After all, how can she wed when Seledri may be dying? But in her heart, Aniri fears she may be like her long-lost father, fleeing the responsibilities of crown once again.
Aniri may be a runaway bride, but the dangers in Samir are real—Seledri is being stalked by an assassin, the second skyship could bring war, and the three Queendoms have never had so much unrest. As Aniri fights to free her sister from a husband and a country she does not love, she unlocks tightly-kept secrets that might have been better left uncovered… and she wonders whether a love pledged in the heat of adventure can survive the looming threat of war.