The nightward

For 500 years Gaiea's Hand has stood as a ward against the Dark. The Age of Chaos is a faded memory. The Goddess has left Gailand and given her Blessing to the Queens to rule in her stead. Princess Viella of the court of Hamber is the Spirit of Gaiea, presumptive heir to the throne and budding wielder of magic. And yet she's still a child - not yet ten years old - and a day spent evading her teachers and her dutiful bodyguard, Luka, is much more satisfying than learning about telepathy, illusions, and other spells, or obeying even her mother, the Queen. There is time enough, until there isn't. For the night the Queen hosts the Ceremony to confirm Viella as the next Hand of Gaiea, everything changes for her - in the most horrific way imaginable: the assassination of Viella's mother.