The Throne Usurped

When the King of Arlan dies with no male heir, the kingdom plunges into civil war. The Dragon Church, driven out by the late king after years of war, allies with Lord Roland to wrestle the throne from the rightfully chosen heir. The young Princess Kyla, sole offspring of the late king, flees her home to escape marriage to Roland, who occupies the capital on the very day of the king's death. Kyla and her tutor Aramond are joined by several companions: the young noble Alaric, who yearnes to fight for the rightful King; the troubled youth Ragnvald, who has been physically transformed by his father's magical surguries; and Saga, a Ngal warrior who lives with her people in the jungles south of Arlan. Together they struggle against the forces of the Dragon Chruch and race to the side of the rightful heir. Only then does Kyla realize that her trusted friends are not so trustworthy after all.