Effie Calvin Knihy

Orsina of Melidrie is a paladin of the Order of the Sun, sworn to drive out corruption and chaos wherever she finds it. She has been ordered to leave her home and travel around Vesolda in search of a great evil she is supposedly destined to destroy. But after two years of fighting monsters and demons and evil gods, she does not seem to be any closer to her goal--or ever returning home. Aelia is the Goddess of Caprice, the personification of poor decision-making. The Order of the Sun has classified her as a chaos goddess, meaning that her worship has been outlawed. During a run-in with Orsina, she is trapped in a mortal body, rendering her unable to leave Inthya. Aelia is found by Orsina again, but this time Orsina does not recognize her in her new body. So Aelia pretends to be a mortal woman who is fleeing an abusive family. Aelia plans to use Orsina as protection as she hunts down the magical relic that will free her from her mortal body. As Aelia and Orsina grow closer to one another, Aelia wrestles with her own desire to tell Orsina the truth about who she is, and her fear that Orsina will turn on her if she does. But the decision might not be hers after all, because their actions have not gone unnoticed by Aelia's siblings.

Crown Princess Ioanna of Xytae has concealed her truthsayer blessing for twenty years. In most realms, such magic would be celebrated, but in Xytae, where the war goddess Reygmadra reigns, Ioanna is expected to embody the traits of a fierce warrior. Naturally reserved and peaceful, she feels like a disappointment to the court, striving daily to support her mother in governing the empire while her father is away at war. However, following the emperor's sudden death, Ioanna is usurped by her younger sister Netheia, who possesses the war magic that Ioanna lacks. Meanwhile, Princess Vitaliya of Vesolda arrives in Xytae to escape her father's impending wedding, which she views as a betrayal of her mother's memory. With no interest in politics, she prefers to indulge in parties and familial embarrassment. When she unexpectedly saves Ioanna during Netheia's coup, they must flee the capital together. As they travel, Vitaliya discovers that Ioanna's shyness stems from a troubled childhood, while Ioanna is unaccustomed to Vitaliya's candidness. Determined to prevent her sister from continuing their father's legacy, Ioanna plans to gather allies against Netheia's coronation. Despite knowing she should leave to avoid civil war, Vitaliya feels compelled to stay and support Ioanna, unaware that their enemies are watching and see Vitaliya as a vulnerability to exploit.

It has been sixteen months since Princess Esofi arrived in Ieflaria, and eight since her marriage to Crown Princess Adale. The princesses have a peaceful life together, preparing to become co-regents and raising their baby dragon, Carinth. Their peace is shattered when Esofi's mother, Queen Gaelle of Rhodia, arrives in Birsgen. She has heard about Carinth and believes that she deserves custody of him due to her greater devotion to Talcia, Goddess of Magic. Adale and Esofi have no intention of giving up their son, but Gaelle is impossible to reason with--and there's no telling what lengths she'll go to in order to get what she wants.

Netheia Isinthi faces exile in Birsgen after her failed attempt to usurp her sister's throne. Stripped of power and public support, she expects a mundane life in the capital city. However, her banishment may lead to unexpected challenges and opportunities for growth as she navigates her new reality.

Princess Esofi of Rhodia and Crown Prince Albion of Ieflaria have been betrothed since they were children but have never met. At age seventeen, Esofi's journey to Ieflaria is not for the wedding she always expected but instead to offer condolences on the death of her would-be husband. But Ieflaria is desperately in need of help from Rhodia for their dragon problem, so Esofi is offered a new betrothal to Prince Albion's younger sister, the new Crown Princess Adale. But Adale has no plans of taking the throne, leaving Esofi with more to battle than fire-breathing beasts.

At the beginning of time, the gods came together to create Inthya, a world where magic is common and hatred never had the opportunity to take root. But the Inthyan gods are young and imperfect. With countless failures behind them and unspeakable horrors lurking outside the borders of creation, they must not allow this world to meet the same fate as the last—without alerting their mortal worshippers that anything is wrong. Nineteen short stories from the perspectives of the gods themselves, some humorous, some horrifying, and all united by a theme of protecting the mortals who love them unconditionally.