Vela was tasked with examining her sister's corpse. Ever the golden child, Carina's passing meant that all hands were on-deck according to Vela's mother. And so, Vela found herself in Alaska to ensure, as a mortician herself, that her sister's body was prepared for transport and burial. Nevermind that that she was out of her comfort zone in more ways than one: being away from the warm sun of Arizona, stepping out of her familiar morgue, and staring into her own sister's glassy, empty eyes. Nevermind that. She was finally doing something her mother would praise her for. A compassionate act the woman could tell her friends about. Vela's life in a funeral home wasn't something her mother could often write her friends about. Not like Carina, the hiker. Carina the, park ranger. Carina the 'Adventurous One'. But as Vela was making final preparations, something nagged at her, causing her to take up an empty position at a mortuary in Anchorage. An out of character act. What enticed her to stay in that godforsaken final frontier? Was it the call of the vast wilderness that had claimed her sister's life? The enigmatic man with pensive eyes that hung around the mortuary? Or the oddities surrounding her sister's death? Follow Vela into the snowy unknown to find out. Cover made by Canva.

The Emerald Kingdom is stretched thin while former war criminals band together to form a major threat at the same time a civil war is progressing. An odd little girl finds herself at the center of it all as she thrusts Amery (a tool smith) and Draxx (a former warrior) into the thick of everything. Old magic and new magic collide in this epic battle for a world in turmoil.

In the realm of Palasia, where the Silver Church's iron grip extends across the continent, the conquered Illuri people still cling to the old ways, praying to spirits that have grown quiet. At the heart of this struggle are four souls bound by fate: Nodalen, a princess burdened by the weight of her bloodline and a legacy of obedience; Liwani, a boy worshipped as a living spirit among the Illuri, yearning to break free from the sacred expectations that imprison him; Clay, a young warrior trapped in the cruel affections of the corrupt electun, desperate for a chance at redemption or escape; and Mary, who views the world through a lens of survival, poised to defy the forces that would see her subjugated. The Silver Church drowns sinners publicly to cleanse them of their sins, wielding faith as both shield and sword. Yet even as their grip tightens, a terrible threat rises. The cult of the Lord of Souls, a mysterious order promising eternal life, begins to swell in numbers, sowing discord in a land already teetering on the edge of chaos. As rebellion brews and the Silver Church's gaze turns inward, alliances are forged in blood, and secrets long buried begin to surface. From the frigid dungeons of Silvertown, where sinners face their watery fate, to the sunlit shores of the Illuri, where ancient rituals persist, Palasia is a land steeped in violence and deceit. Kings and commoners alike are caught in a web of treachery spun by those who crave power and those who would see it crumble. As Nodalen, Liwani, Clay, and Mary navigate the ever-changing tides of loyalty and betrayal, they are drawn toward a reckoning that will test their resolve and reshape their fates. For within the shadows of Palasia lies a hidden truth, a place where all blood flows, where sins are sown and reaped -- a garden of blood that nourishes the roots of a darker age long prophesied.