Betrayal

Trust—Has an authority figure in your life every betrayed your trust? If so, how did it make you feel? Were you able to trust again?

Loyalty—Why is loyalty important—both for the person displaying it as well as for the person receiving it? Has a friend or acquaintance ever shown loyalty to you during an uncomfortable situation? Have you ever been the one to show loyalty? What role does loyalty play in driving the plot of this book?

Love—Have you ever had feelings of love and longing for a person, even though you may be separated by distance, or even by death? What ways have you learned to deal with and overcome your grief? In what ways did love make the characters in this story vulnerable? How did it make them stronger?

Corruption—How can corruption negatively affect a nation? Why is it important to have honorable women and men in positions of power? How might you reconcile the Duke of Saylen’s use of deception and coercion with his desire restore an honorable king to the throne?

Weight of Responsibility—Have you ever been given a difficult assignment, only to have unforeseen things make it even more difficult to complete? Have you ever resented the weight of a responsibility? How does Brion respond to the new responsibility he is given? Why does he refuse a greater responsibility when the opportunity arises?

Power—In this book, many men struggle to gain power, and, in the end, the person who triumphs is the one who did not seek it. Why might the man who does not seek power be the one most able to cope with the responsibility of wielding it?

Loss—How can one person truly make a difference in the life of another? Have you ever had someone make sacrifices so that your life might be better or easier? If so, how can you “pay it forward” and bless someone else’s life? What motivated those who died in the story to risk their lives? Are there causes or people for whom you would risk your life? Who and why?