WARDEN'S PROMISE by Michael Mader

I’ll find you, and I’ll kill the bastard who took you.

Berethys Blackwood is a wizard. As an Agent of the Arcane Council, it’s her job to protect the city of Starfell from the things no one else can handle. She’s good at it, with a reputation for working alone and for doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

Her latest case starts as a simple undercover sting, but quickly turns into a realm-threatening conspiracy. Impressed with Ranger Captain Malcolm Bragg’s eye for detail, and intrigued by his strange knack for magic, Berethys reluctantly partners with him to investigate. Even with their combined resources, they can’t seem to get ahead of the mess. As if the ghouls invading Starfell weren’t bad enough, the dark society behind them seems to be everywhere, including the Council and the Rangers.

When Princess Astra Altower, heir to the throne of Starfell, is kidnapped, the case becomes personal to Berethys, for she is Warden to the girl, bound to her by vows of magic made long ago. She saved Astra once, but it cost her a part of herself that can never be replaced.

The foe who took so much from her is back, and now he has a secret society with him. He means to rule Starfell, but what he hungers for most is revenge on Berethys. If she can’t make peace with what she’s lost and learn to trust again, both her new allies and herself, Starfell and the Princess are doomed.

And so is she.