An empire, long standing, must fall. For the Tecian Empire, that fall has already begun.
The empire's problems are many, but its greatest weakness is that no one knows just how precarious their position truly is. The army is at half strength, corruption is commonplace, and the ranks of barbarians at the gate are growing each year. Yet all the wealth and inertia of their great nation carry on, shouldered by men like Euphemios Harpalion, who negotiates the delicate peace with the uncivilized hordes just beyond the river.
But this is not his story.
This is the story of his daughter Maia, who lives in the tranquility of the great empire’s unparalleled reach. As a young girl she knows little of the political infighting, rebellious generals, or burdens upon the Emperor’s treasury. Growing up in the heart of the empire’s capital of Adrianapolis, she is granted a life of almost unimaginable luxury. Her challenges are the simpler ones of a child born into wealth and privilege: malicious classmates, her sister’s insomnia, and the tediousness of her family’s social schedule.
Her father can only protect Maia from the threats of the world around her for so long though. As the barbarians become an ever greater threat and the empire slides further and further from the height of its power, the fate of this young girl will be challenged like never before. And even her father will not be able to protect her from the realities that await the end of a great empire.
Ideal for any fans of Guy Gavriel Kay's style of historical fantasy, with a strong focus on character, a light-hearted tone, and more upmarket sensibilities and writing style.
