Serpent's Crown — Beth Alvarez

The Archmage will not be denied, and neither will the crown.The alliance Firal forged with the Triad brought stability to Elenhiise, but peace cannot last while her mother still lives. Now, with Envesi's return to the island, the life of Firal's child hangs in the balance-and the only thing that can save her is a free mage.When Rune is forced to return from exile, he's told there are only two possible outcomes-he must face the corrupted Archmage and save the queen's daughter, or else hang for the murder of the Eldani king. But Elenhiise is his homeland, and the ties he still carries present a third option: seize the crown that should have been his.As whispers of sedition begin to take root, Firal struggles to maintain control of the island and its mages as she searches for her stolen child... and for traitors in her own court.The adventure continues in Serpent's Crown, the fifth book in the Snakesblood Saga.