The Sentinel Mage (1) (Cursed Kingdoms Trilogy)

The Sentinel Mage (1) (Cursed Kingdoms Trilogy) by Gee, Emily. mass_market edition. ISBN: 9781907519505.

Her magic may be the only thing that can save a prince―and the Seven Kingdoms. In a distant corner of the Seven Kingdoms, an ancient curse festers and grows, consuming everything in its path. Only one man can break it: Harkeld of Osgaard, a prince with mages blood in his veins. But Prince Harkeld has a bounty on his head―and assassins at his heels. Innis is a gifted shapeshifter. Now she must do the forbidden: become a man. She must stand at Prince Harkelds side as his armsman, protecting and deceiving him. But the deserts of Masse are more dangerous than the assassins hunting the prince. The curse has woken deadly creatures, and the magic Prince Harkeld loathes may be the only thing standing between him and death. "Dark and compelling. Emily Gee is a storyteller to watch." ~ Nalini Singh, author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series "Her haunting prose reads like Hans Christian Andersen for twenty-first century adults." ~ Mindy Klasky, author of the Glasswrights series Books in the Cursed Kingdoms Trilogy: 1. The Sentinel Mage 2. The Fire Prince 3. The Blood Curse