A Stranger to Command    by Sherwood Smith
Price: $3.99 USD. 139150 words. Published by Book View Cafe on February 28, 2010. .
In this prequel to Crown Duel, Vidanric Renselaeus, fifteen-year-old Marquis of Shevraeth, finds himself sent across the continent to a military academy in Marloven Hess, a kingdom known for its violent history. All the while greater events in the world are moving inexorably toward conflagration, drawing the smartest of the young people into key positions—whether they want it or not.