The Twelve Systems Trio: The Cartel, Bright Star, & Transgressions
THE CARTEL
Lilian should have died for her father’s crimes.
When her father’s crimes destroy the Grey Gyre Cartouche, Lilian loses everything in a single brutal stroke. Her family name is ruined. Their fortune seized. Their allies scattered. To protect the last of her family, Lilian accepts a three-year Trial by Ordeal under the authority of Monsignor Lucius Mercio, ruler of the powerful Serengeti Group.
In the Twelve Systems, commerce is war, and power belongs to the cartels.
Lucius Mercio did not build his empire through mercy. Ruthless, brilliant, and feared across the systems, he rules Serengeti with absolute control. Political rivals, economic warfare, and hidden enemies surround him on every side.
What he does not expect is Lilian.
Beneath her quiet obedience lies an extraordinary mind, one capable of uncovering patterns, conspiracies, and threats his enemies worked desperately to conceal. As counterfeit vistrite spreads through the systems and powerful forces move against Serengeti, Lilian may become Lucius’s greatest advantage.
And his most dangerous weakness.
Drawn into a world of cartel intrigue, brutal hierarchy, and scorching desire, Lilian finds herself trapped between survival and temptation. The closer she grows to Lucius, the more impossible it becomes to separate fear from trust, power from protection, and possession from devotion.
In the Twelve Systems, love is never safe.
And power always demands a price.
BRIGHT STAR
Lilian survived her first season of Trial by Ordeal.
Two and a half years remain. Eight Seasons.
When every day is a trial by ordeal, eight seasons are an eternity.
Though her discoveries have earned her a place among the analysts and strategists shaping Serengeti’s future, Lilian remains exactly what she has always been: a disgraced apprentice serving at the pleasure of Monsignor Lucius Mercio. Every day is a minefield. Every success breeds new enemies. And far too many people would celebrate her failure.
Especially those determined to stop Bright Star.
A bold initiative to explore beyond the known systems, Bright Star promises wealth, power, and influence beyond imagining. It also threatens the ambitions of some of the most powerful warriors in the galaxy. As rival cartouches maneuver for advantage and hidden enemies work from within, Lilian’s extraordinary ability to uncover patterns and connections exposes dangers no one else can see.
Including a betrayal at the heart of Serengeti itself.
Lucius Mercio did not build his empire through mercy. Ruthless, brilliant, and feared throughout the Twelve Systems, he has spent years rebuilding Serengeti from crisis and defeat. Yet the more indispensable Lilian becomes, the harder it is to remember she is only an apprentice.
And the harder it becomes to keep his distance.
As political intrigue turns deadly and old enemies strike from the shadows, Lilian and Lucius find themselves caught between ambition and loyalty, power and devotion, duty and desire.
Because in the Twelve Systems, survival is only the first victory.
Keeping what you have won is the real battle.
TRANSGRESSIONS
Lilian survived the first half of her Trial by Ordeal.
A year and a half remain, and with every success, she becomes more valuable to Blooded Dagger and more dangerous to those who oppose it. Powerful enemies have taken notice of the disgraced apprentice who keeps disrupting their plans, and some are willing to destroy her to protect their ambitions.
As hidden enemies move against Blooded Dagger, she uncovers the trail of a traitor within Serengeti, and a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of the cartel. The closer she comes to the truth, the more dangerous her position becomes.
Especially when Grey Spear's powerful preeminence turns his attention toward her.
Lucius Mercio has spent years battling rivals for control of Serengeti. Ruthless, brilliant, and feared throughout the Twelve Systems, he has always known that power comes with enemies. What he did not anticipate was how far those enemies would go to strike at the woman under his protection.
Or how much she would come to matter.
As betrayal, obsession, and political intrigue collide, Lilian and Lucius must fight to preserve not only Blooded Dagger's future but the fragile trust they have built together.
Because in the Twelve Systems, justice and vengeance are rarely the same thing.
And some transgressions demand a reckoning.
THE TWELVE SYSTEMS CHRONICLES
The Cartel: The Apprentice, Volume 1
Bright Star: The Apprentice, Volume 2
Transgressions: The Apprentice, Volume 3
Fortuna: The Apprentice, Volume 4
Serengeti Valor: The Apprentice, Volume 5
Nightingale: The Apprentice, Volume 6
Bond Proof: The Apprentice, Volume 7
Chalice Bearer: Thornraven, Volume 1
Shield Bearer: Thornraven, Volume 2
Thorn Bearer: Thornraven, Volume 3
