Eight months have passed since Setoni’s fallen. With their ship destroyed and the seas controlled by vengeful merfolk, Kiojah, Ario and their crew remain landlocked in the city of Freon. The royal court urges patience, but the thaw of winter brings no relief—only pressure from the pirates besieging Setoni’s coast. Kiojah refuses to stand idle while her homeland burns. She is no longer the sheltered duchess who followed her husband across the sea—she is a princess shaped by storm and sacrifice, determined to become a force of change. But saving Setoni will require more than courage. Before she can return home, Kiojah must repair a broken alliance with the merfolk, survive the creatures haunting the open waters, and rebuild trust with a crew unraveling under the weight of war. Even Ario, her husband and once-steadfast ally, may not walk the same path she now follows. As kingdoms clash and the seas stir with ancient power, Kiojah must decide what kind of leader she is willing to become—and what she is willing to lose to protect the future she believes in.