The Poisoner of Kingfountain Series

Before she befriended a frightened young boy in the palace of Kingfountain, Ankarette Tryneowy grew up during the shattering civil war that raged between members of the Argentine family. This is the story of how the only daughter of a lawyer and a midwife became the famed Queen's Poisoner.

When a valuable heiress disappears from Kingfountain in the middle of the night, King Eredur summons the poisoner Ankarette to bring her back alive at all costs. Both of his younger brothers want her—one to control her fortune and the other for love. With the help of a world-weary soldier from the Night Watch, Ankarette must delve into the darkest corners of the city before the wrong people find the lost widow first. Blood will be spilled. Brothers will come to blows. And once again, Ankarette must try to stop her beloved kingdom from tearing itself apart.

Sent on an impossible mission by Kingfountain's ruler into the heart of the enemy's capital as two mighty kingdoms prepare for war, Ankarette Tryneowy must divine the location of a magical sword, perhaps their key to victory. What she finds is the truth - one she could never have foreseen.

True loyalty is revealed in difficult times. When trouble comes again to the court at Kingfountain, it is trumpeted by Eredur's defeated foe, Lord Devereaux. He was the ally of Queen Morvared who nearly vanquished Eredur at the fog-choked battle of Borehamwood. Now, he has seized the fortress of Averanche and plans to hold it at all hazards and unite disaffected countrymen under his battle flag.