A Proud Duke, a Visionary Countess, and a Monster In a country lost to history, where a kingdom seeks to exact total power over its subjects, a young woman of peculiar vision is driven to take a stand against her king after the deaths of her parents, and the introduction of a powerful black magic capable of controlling the very wills of the country's people. This young woman, a countess named Hope, must raise an army from among those few in the kingdom who are able to resist the black magic, a band of treacherous mercenaries from beyond the nation's borders, and a monster who was thrice killed. But victory will be hard won, and success will not come without great cost. The king's duke, a ruthless man who will stop at nothing to maintain order in the kingdom, commands an army which he will not refrain from unleashing against any of the kingdom's subjects who defy him. Through the crack of muskets, the turning of tables, and the testing of virtue, A Contest with the Night tells a tale of hope, love, and courage against security, cruelty, and complacency. It is a story for all people, and a reminder that the freedom to live rightly is worth any cost or conflict.