The Misfortunate Maiden

Whether arranged by her father or the Elf King, Thylaina will not let anyone determine her destiny. Not anymore.

Thylaina escapes an unwanted betrothal to a pompous elf lord, crossing Yeuroth for a new life. A benevolent healer, alone and with no direction, she finds herself jailed in Alohrius, Etharell’s human neighbors. Not just any jailhouse, but in the country’s largest knight city: Caerabis.

Hatred consumes the city’s First Captain, Breydon Colmstad, and Thylaina must convince him and his marshal that she is not a thief, an elven spy, nor a danger to them, all while withholding her true identity. But Breydon is not Thylaina’s only challenge. Something horrific has befallen the marshal’s pregnant wife. Thylaina’s primary suspect holds a position of prestige, and the leaders are blind to the danger he threatens to others within the city.

Every deception, betrayal, and death reveals corruption within the knighthood. If those responsible for these dark deeds learn whom Thylaina truly is, they will take her into custody and use her against the Elf King.

Her fate now entwined with the lives in Caerabis, Thylaina faces the peril looming over the knight’s city.

The Misfortunate Maiden joins Mary’s collection of Fates of Emvarr novels. Although this is a prequel to An Unsought Destiny, it can be read before or after. This novel also precedes the upcoming series, Emvarrian Fates.