Daniel, Douglas

Divine Lotus Ser.

Kathy Pennington has been in trouble several times since coming to the planet of Jauthur, but she has never been in as dire a strait as she is now. The mysterious Lord Twilight has captured her and intends to sell her to highest bidder. To him it's just a business opportunity, but to Kathy it is life and death. Some of the bidders are Gehma rebels, who want to use her to force political concessions from her grandmother, the Dowager Empress of the Val. Of course, if they can't get concessions, they'll execute Kathy out of hand. Other bidders are disaffected nobles who want to remove Kathy from the succession-- permanently. Yet others are foreigners who want to gain her sacred power for themselves, in ways that will mean a horrible death for Kathy. Kathy has to get away from Twilight and return to the capitol, Crown. But she has only her wits to make good her escape. Even if she does get away, though, safety lies across the whole of the Empire, along twisting paths filled with dangers, enemies, and deep shadows.