The fates of a boy with forbidden magic and an ambitious young princess with her eye on the throne collide in this first book in The Fate of the Kingdoms—an upper middle grade high fantasy series full of magic and courtly intrigue that’s Ranger’s Apprentice meets Skandar.

Wyatt has a secret: he was born with a rare talent for magic. In an empire where magic is illegal, that’s a dangerous gift. Princess Lila’s whole life has been mapped out for her. As the middle child, she has been engaged since birth—destined for a boring fate.

Then a once-in-a-lifetime chance emerges for Lila: to go to the Capitol, where the empress will choose her heir from the kingdoms’ royal children. If Lila is chosen, she will be able to chart her own future…finally. But with the fragile peace between the kingdoms barely holding together, Lila will need protectors for her journey: her own Royal Shadows—elite knights who act as bodyguards and are selected by tourney.

Wyatt wants nothing more than to compete in the Shadow Tournament and win a spot at the princess’s side. After all, she may be the future empress, someone who will eventually have the power to lift the restrictions on magic—if he can convince her it’s the right move. In the meantime, he has to be extra careful about hiding his abilities with the tournament putting him in the public eye.

As the Shadow Tournament begins and the conflict between the empire’s kingdoms worsens, Lila and Wyatt’s determination to change their fates might just put them in a position to change everything.