In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole...yet some face the world aloneThe singlebornA rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of these few, born into the royal line and destined to rule.The diminishedWhen one twin dies, the other usually follows...or they become diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone whose twin has died. Such is the destined fate of Vi Abernathy, whose twin sister died in infancy.As their sixteenth birthdays approach, Bo and Vi face very different futures--one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined.