An ember in the ashes
(Large Print)

Sequel: A torch against the night.

"Laia is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire's greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution"--,Provided by publisher.

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empires impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. Theyve seen what happens to those who do. But when Laias brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empires greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the schools finest soldierand secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny hes being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwinedand that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.