In reality, Anna is grieving, overwhelmed, and so lonely she talks to herself. Above all, she fears assassination if people find out her father’s dying gift to her was a scion. Only seven of these powerful artifacts exist, one in each kingdom—a precarious balance that maintains peace. That peace shatters when a kingdom steals a second scion and invades its weaker neighbor. Anna feels compelled to act, but that would mean facing her crippling fears, a quest into the unforgiving wilds, and risking her kingdom becoming a target of war.  Driven by the memory of her father, she must find the one thing eluding her thus far: courage. _The Arcane Artist _is the second book in the Chronicles of Anna Atticus Stone series. Packed with powerful sorcery, ancient mysteries, and epic adventure, the series can be read alone or as a prequel to Sever Bronny’s best-selling sagas The Arinthian Line series and the Fury of a Rising Dragon series.