A Tincture of Silver

Book excerpt: Faced with a loveless political marriage, Princess Alice, younger sister of the king, takes her best friend, Jennifer, and runs off to join a mercenary company. War is brewing in the east, and the Immani Empire needs all the troops they can get, so they won't ask questions about a pair of young ladies dressed as knights. Not with vast new silver mines at stake. The infamous sorcerer Faustinus controls the puppet strings, and he's got a plan to solve the Empire's financial troubles once and for all. At his side is the irrepressible Gina Brembana—professional spy, retired acrobat, and full-time optimist. She'll stop at nothing to rescue Alice, assuming Alice wants to be rescued. But they'll have to look out for a handsome prince who's a little too good to be true and a sorcerer-for-hire with a very personal reason for hating Faustinus. Add a dash of greed and a pinch of romance in a swirling mix of deadly peril, and you have A Tincture of Silver.