Elowen West came to the frozen kingdom of Draevyr seeking answers-but the mountain beneath the court hides something far worse than a cruel ruler or a political feud. Deep in the underways, ancient bindings still hum with red cord, bone bells, and broken-sun symbols. and a throne that doesn't belong to any living king. When Elowen triggers a cracked Winterbrand and becomes the "Breaker" a forbidden ritual has waited generations to claim, the mountain's magic turns personal.
It doesn't just want her power. It wants her seated. Kaelen-Draevyr's dangerous, ink-bound war prince-was raised to be a weapon. and a key. Bound by blood and shadowed by a vow he can't fully control, he's the one person who understands how deep the kingdom's corruption runs. But the closer Elowen gets to the truth, the more the magic tries to use Kaelen's own body against her-turning protection into possession, loyalty into leash.
With a terrified girl caught in the crossfire, a court willing to sacrifice anyone for its "sovereign, " and a winterglass entity crawling out of ancient ash, Elowen and Kaelen are forced into a desperate choice:Run. or make monsters fight monsters. Because the river has a name. And it remembers hers.
Elowen West came to the frozen kingdom of Draevyr seeking answers-but the mountain beneath the court hides something far worse than a cruel ruler or a political feud. Deep in the underways, ancient bindings still hum with red cord, bone bells, and broken-sun symbols. and a throne that doesn't belong to any living king. When Elowen triggers a cracked Winterbrand and becomes the "Breaker" a forbidden ritual has waited generations to claim, the mountain's magic turns personal.
It doesn't just want her power. It wants her seated. Kaelen-Draevyr's dangerous, ink-bound war prince-was raised to be a weapon. and a key. Bound by blood and shadowed by a vow he can't fully control, he's the one person who understands how deep the kingdom's corruption runs. But the closer Elowen gets to the truth, the more the magic tries to use Kaelen's own body against her-turning protection into possession, loyalty into leash.
With a terrified girl caught in the crossfire, a court willing to sacrifice anyone for its "sovereign, " and a winterglass entity crawling out of ancient ash, Elowen and Kaelen are forced into a desperate choice:Run. or make monsters fight monsters. Because the river has a name. And it remembers hers.