The Illusory - The Benighted Saga, #2

War has begun. Skylar Mandolyn, last heir and first queen of Correnth, is still haunted by what happened during her imprisonment. Trying to stay focused on the impending war with Bellumortis, Skylar can't help but see the shadow of the one who had caused her kingdom's downfall, only recognizing him by his black-and-cream façade and his chin that drips with blood. Then, Bellumortis attacks, and suddenly the reality and fantasy she's tried to keep separate becomes the same battleground.
Ghosts become real, enemies become haunting, and Skylar begins to realize that this may actually be the end of everything. including herself. For Sir Harlin Brien, war comes easy. As one of Correnth's knights in the Order of the Benighted, Harlin knows how to destroy the enemy. But what makes this war different is that he's the only one from the Order who's there to fight, and for him this battle is personal.
It's not just the queen he's trying to save, but the woman he's fallen in love with. With one realm on the verge of collapse and the other on the verge of power, there's only one person who knows the truth of why this war really started: Madden Calibre, the captured spy. Madden knows where Bellumortis's hate originates from, because it didn't start after the deaths of their ambassadors. It started with the birth of Skylar Mandolyn.