Former Royal Fool Malfred Murd let himself get disgruntled, disgraced, and dismissed. Now a penniless exile- whose self-appointed magpie advisor Corvinalias is leading him further into perdition day by day- Fred takes a gamble that might win back a little of his former glory. All he has to do is trick a sweet, batty old lady into thinking he can work magic. But, the lady is Dame Elsebet de Whellen, proud ruler of a technologically advanced country that's poised between survival and destruction. Sweet she may be, but she's also armed, deadly, and crazy enough to drag Fred along with her on the desperate rescue mission that will decide the future of her people

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