The Scorpion Rules

Greta is a princess, a duchess and a hostage. Under the artificial intelligence Talis’s peacekeeping system, rulers surrender children who will be killed if their countries begin a war. Greta has learned to endure that possibility with the composure expected of her. Elian’s arrival disrupts the carefully controlled life of the hostages: he refuses obedience and suffers for it, exposing the brutality beneath their supposed protection. Greta also begins recognizing feelings that discipline has taught her to suppress, including her attachment to Princess Xie. When political conflict reaches their enclosure, dignified acceptance no longer seems enough. Surviving may require imagining a response outside the rules everyone has been trained to follow.