Having power isn’t always sunshine and roses … but that’s okay, because Rydel hates roses. Rydel and his childhood best friend, Luc, lied, cheated, robbed, and killed their way from the slums to the throne — winning Rydel the feared Mind Stone and the crown, with Luc at his side as his captain. For the past ten years, King Rydel and the other two rulers of Imoria have narrowly avoided conflict in their desperate search for the coveted Heart Stone — the last known piece of magic in the county. Rydel is close, willing to do whatever it takes to possess the Stone and wield its powers of manipulation. But when he almost loses Luc, Rydel is pushed to the edge — unable to fathom a world without the one person he cares about more than power, the one person he … loves. As war rages, a devastating betrayal nearly shatters the unbreakable king, and his wrath will consume all who stand in his way. No one is safe from Rydel.