Prologue

“Gentlemen, you honor me with your presence today. I am Grant Algren.”

The men seated at the massive, round table straightened when I announced my name from the seat of honor. Tonight, in this secret chamber beneath my house’s mountain villa on the forested outskirts of the eastern capital, the mightiest lords of the east were assembled—earls, viscounts, barons, and our own Algren knights. Every available nobleman under our banner was in attendance. The eminent assembly wanted only Haag Harclay and our martial aristocracy to make it unquestionably the mightiest force in the kingdom...yet they were currently biding their time in the royal capital under the pretext of a military exercise—with our elite Violet Order under their command.

Only when Greck, the eldest of my younger brothers, tapped his fingers on the table from his seat beside me was I snapped out of my ecstasy.

I cleared my throat before addressing my comrades. “I appreciate your response to my abrupt summons. We are here assembled to discuss none other than”—I paused for effect—“the Great Cause.”

A thrill shot through the room. The Great Cause—our rebellion against our current royal dynasty, which had incessantly stripped the aristocracy of its rights—was the fruit of years of meticulous planning.

On the other side of Greck, Earl Raymond Despenser raised a hand. He was my brother’s trusted confidant, and both of them would be embarking for the royal capital after this night’s meeting.

“Your Highness, Duke Algren,” he said hesitantly, “do you mean that you are canceling our plans due to the recent incident in the eastern capital?”

“No, I do not,” I replied. “Greck.”

“Yes, my duke!” my brother shouted, rising on my signal.

The deep violet uniform that Greck wore accentuated his frame—slender, yet well-muscled after his days commanding troops near the royal capital. I had not seen him in some time, and I could not but marvel at the majestic figure that he cut. Truly, here stood a legitimate heir to the Algren name—a far cry from our younger brothers Gregory and Gil, in whose veins ran lesser blood.

“Are you all listening?” Greck prefaced his explanation in a clear, carrying voice. “Gerard