Drayden's Queen

Book excerpt: Queen Peydra ascends to the throne, but has a mere 12 years until Ruling Council will murder her. Can she escape the “Curse of Royalty”? Peydra must decide what she will do as she nears her coronation in a kingdom whose ruling body has used something they call the Protection Dictum to justify murdering the royal family for more than two centuries. Instead of being the warning against tyranny it was intended to be, the practice has become commonplace and threatens not only her life, but destabilizes the kingdom. How does one fight against centuries of barbaric ritualism? Newly crowned and grieving the loss of her mother, Queen Peydra decides to lead her court on an inaugural tour to introduce herself to the populace. But the new queen soon finds that she has risked the lives of the whole ruling body as the tour caravan faces invaders and imminent war. Drayden’s Queen is the first installment of Fleming’s four book series, Curse of Royalty. Follow the queen as she grows through loss, struggles against the darkness of the curse, discovers how weighty the crown can be, and experiences the baffling loyalty of a secretive attendant she calls First Boy. Curse of Royalty is about the inevitability of death, back lit by the hope of true salvation, and surprising loyalty of others despite considerable obstacles, both from without and within.