Dexter of Pozzelby

An unknown enemy attempts to murder the royal line of Pozzelby with a sorcerous attack during the king's annual hunt. Shadow asps overrun the camp and murder the king, his brother, and his two nephews. But the king's youngest nephew isn't on the trip. Thirteen-year-old Dexter is more interested in books than hunting and survives.

His family gone, Dexter has no time to mourn. He's whisked away to Pozzelby Castle, an ancient structure so immense that much of the castle is long-sealed and forgotten, where he's thrust upon the throne.

Dexter finds himself in the center of a civil war. Pitted against an enemy from Pozzelby's past, he is unsure who he can trust. Dexter relies on his studies to guide him. But books can only take him so far. He must find his courage to have any hope of triumph.