The Moss and the Mirror

The Citadel of Thorns has been sealed for a decade, choking in an eternal autumn of rot and regret. On the day the ancient betrothal contract comes due, Lady Elara arrives at the iron gates, terrified but resolute. Kaelen, now a creature of cracked mud and living moss, intends to terrify her into fleeing for her life. But Elara remembers the boy beneath the bark, and her love triggers a curse far more dangerous than mere ugliness—one that demands a life for a life.