A gryphon prince. A warrior maiden. And an impossible love. Rescued from her grandfather's dungeon by the King of the Gryphons, Enkara only wishes to repay that great debt by serving as one of the elite Shadow Guards tasked with protecting the royal line. Unfortunately, the gods have other plans, for she was born with the mark of a goddess running down her spine and her destiny is far greater than that of a simple guard. She is one of the Goddess Ishtar's Avenging Blades, born into the world when danger stalks the royal line. While that brings far more attention than she ever wished, she is still happy to serve Crown Prince Kuwari, for he is also her closest friend, and their bond is unlike any other Blade and Prince before them. But Ishtar isn't the only goddess with a desire to claim Enkara as her Blade and Kuwari as her King. Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld, is jealous of her younger sister, Ishtar, and will do all in her power to snatch them away, even if she must destroy the gryphon kingdom to do it.