Code and Crown (Paperback)

Paperback. A critical vulnerability detected. A war that cannot be paused. A new life that changes the rules of engagement.The brutal civil war against the usurper Cassian has entered its final, desperate phase. Princess Nia, the "Iron Baroness," has always treated the war like complex code to be optimized-managing mana reserves, calculating kill ratios, and treating her soldiers as necessary units.But a desperate night in a magical blizzard has introduced an unexpected, unauthorized process into her system. Nia is pregnant.In a conflict where Nia's personal magical artillery is the Empire's greatest asset, her biological reality has become a strategic disaster. Grounded by the dying Emperor Lucius to protect the succession, Nia is forced into the command bunker, watching the war through scrying crystals while her body rebels against her.To keep morale from collapsing, a dangerous patch is implemented: Aric, her former squire and newly elevated Prince Consort, must don Nia's legendary armor. He rides out as her proxy, a shining blue target for Cassian's bio-mechanical Reavers, fighting the battles Nia no longer can.As Cassian launches his terrifying endgame on the Plains of Ash, Nia must orchestrate the defense of the realm without crashing herself. She must learn that being an Admin means protecting the future, even if it means sending the man she loves into the fire.The system is rebooting, but a darker, older threat is already watching from the Void. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.