Playing on Quicksand

Winter delivers a harsh lesson to Countess Keleroy: it forces her into a miserable existence on the outskirts of high society, forgetting her former dreams—but it doesn’t force her to give up! And though the soul of the battle mage is poisoned by the bitterness of defeat, the game continues. The stakes are raised to the sky: in the north, an unusually hot wind already blows; the white sand sings invitingly; emerald waves scratch at the shores. The realm of Volenstir is the last place in the researched world where a free lady of the progressive empire would want to go. Here, cruel laws reign, unshakable ancient traditions—here nobility and honor are not just empty words: for the slightest insult, people are accepted to be killed in a duel. Here every man is a potential threat to the independence of any innocent maiden.
But Florian Keleroy has no intention of surrendering to difficulties or giving up her principles. She swore to save her brother from execution, and she will survive wherever she goes—no barbarians will stop her! Even the most dangerous among them—the first royal counselor, Tyr Birlek, the one she tries in vain not to think about, yet who still stirs her soul, awakening forbidden feelings she never knew before.