When Two Roads Meet (Cardinal Series, #1) / Cardinal Series (ePub)

Capasta is a kingdom of chaos, possessing three strains of majic bestowed upon them by their Gods- the Stars. Alisha, a cynical, reckless Capastian prostitute, has been tormented by being 'Blessed by the Stars;' an exceptionally rare person born with golden eyes and set to fulfil a paramount purpose before burning out and dying horrifically. She was left behind by her lover, Johnny, who disappeared after they failed to escape their circumstances yet again towards an idea of a resistance group. After being saved from her captors, she forms an unlikely alliance with Rian- a naive Pamanian runaway whose noble family is entangled in the new and mysterious Sapphire majic.

As their feuding kingdoms inch towards war, the two women embark on a perilous journey to the Pamanian capital through mystical and brutal regions of both kingdoms with nothing but the hope for survival and the powerful majic burning all around them; but their growing feelings for each other threaten to dismantle achieving the only goals they've ever known- fulfilling others' expectations. Throughout their journey, they uncover clues towards Johnny's whereabouts and Sapphire's capabilities, both of which lead to startling implications that a deadly weapon might be in the works.

They seek to discover the meaning of love before pride and duty and what makes them worthy of it. Whether that be destiny or something greater, the battle of forbidden desire against predetermined fidelities awaits them amidst the long path to freedom.