The hope of Crystalia lies in the Prophecy of Five. The prophesied princesses have traveled the kingdom, fighting monsters and tyrants across the realm to bring about peace. But not all of the princesses have returned safely. Without them, darkness begins to overtake the land and its inhabitants. At the center of the growing darkness is the mysterious Midnight Queen, a figure seemingly involved in every plot against the Goddess, including capturing the missing princesses. To protect the kingdom, Otto of the Royal Paladins volunteers to face the Midnight Queen. Eager to rescue their missing sisters, Princesses Sapphire and Emerald accompany him to the center of the darkness—the Midnight Tower. The Midnight Tower is a terrible place—corrupted, deadly, and home to the Midnight Queen. Unless they defeat the evil sorceress, Crystalia will succumb to the dark creatures under the queen’s command. But the Tower knows their deepest fears, and a battle rages inside, as well as around, them. How will they keep the hope alive when they must overcome their greatest opponents yet—themselves? ____________________ What others have said about The Midnight Queen: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A fast-paced adventure set in a fascinating world. Thumbs up!" —Matthew P. Schmidt, author of The City and the Dungeon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Chock-full of adventure and magic, and heroes fighting against great odds!" —Andrew Seiple, author of Threadbare ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Great heroes, great villain, and a great story. If you haven't read The Midnight Queen, you're really missing out.” —Zachariah Dracoulis, author of Galactic Badlands "A fast-paced adventure set in a fascinating world. Thumbs up!" - Matthew P. Schmidt, author of The City and the Dungeon   "Chock-full of adventure and magic, and heroes fighting against great odds!" - Andrew Seiple​, author of Threadbare   "Great heroes, great villain, and a great story. If you haven't read The Midnight Queen, you're really missing out.” - Zachariah Dracoulis, author of Galactic Badlands   Coming from the land where they filmed Lord of the Rings, Christopher Keene is excited to bring you The Midnight Queen. While studying for his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Canterbury, he took the school’s creative writing course in the hopes of someday seeing his own book on the shelf in his favorite bookstores. He is now the published author of The Dream State Saga , as well as his new epic fantasy War of Kings and Monsters . In his spare time, he writes a blog to share his love of the fantasy and science fiction genres in novels, films, comics, games, and anime (fantasyandanime.wordpress.com). Chapter 1 Otto the Royal Paladin Deep within the barracks of Crystalia Castle, Otto the Royal Paladin sat at a long, marble table accompanied by the white-armored members of his order. The men murmured about the rumors of Princess Ruby’s death, exchanging furtive glances with each other. Otto looked up from his clasped hands as his father, the leader of their order, strode in and sat down at the head of the table. The middle-aged man rested one gauntleted hand on its marble surface, the other brushing his long, blond hair from his face. Otto had inherited the golden color from him, but over the years the great warrior’s hair had become flecked with gray. “As we have feared,” his father began, his voice hollow. “Those who traveled with her have confirmed that the death of Princess Ruby was caused by none other than the Midnight Queen.” There were gasps and whispers around the white war room. Being the latest and greatest of the Dark Consul’s generals, the Midnight Queen had devastated the royal line, and Otto was unsettled by how quickly she had managed to achieve such a feat. His father lifted a hand to silence them. “As the order of Paladins, one of us must join the party of Heroes tasked with capturing her. I will be honest with you: whoever undertakes this burden will not likely survive it. Therefore, I ask only for volunteers. Who among you will take up this quest?” The majority of the Paladins avoided his gaze, some twiddling their thumbs, others their mustaches. The dark rings around his father’s eyes appeared to deepen. Swallowing his fear and steeling himself against the decision he knew would change his life forever, Otto raised his hand high. “If no one else will rise to meet this challenge, then I shall!” Grunts of disapproval surrounded him. He was the youngest of their order, after all. However, the pride that appeared in his father’s eyes quashed any uncertainty that arose. That was all he needed to know: taking this quest to rid the land of such darkness was the will of the Goddess. “Very well, a meeting of great Heroes will be taking place at the Rain Court soon,” his father said. “As the only Paladin there, you will be the representative for our entire order. Is that clear?” Otto nodded, avoiding the contemptuous expressions of those around him. “I understand.” The second-in-command