Crown of Shadows

He didn't mean to become a hero. He meant to steal a bottle of wine.

Viydrin Ruhn has spent his life reading people, picking locks, and staying one step ahead of the wrong crowd. He's good at it - good enough to make enemies of the Merchants' Guild, the Thieves' Guild, and the city's nobility, all in one afternoon.

With every dangerous faction in RiverRun hunting him, Viy flees aboard a merchant caravan bound for the Celedon Forest and a remote village called Rhartharen - a place where no one knows his name.

It should have been simple.

But the forest is restless. Ancient creatures stir beneath the soil. Shadows move where they shouldn't. And a voice only Viy can hear keeps warning him of dangers just before they arrive.

He's a thief. A survivor. He doesn't believe in destiny.

What he finds in Rhartharen isn't just danger. It's people worth protecting.

The forest, it turns out, doesn't care what he believes.

Crown of Shadows: The Siege Within is the first book in The Gheronix Chronicles - a dark fantasy series for readers who love found family, immersive world-building, and heroes who trip into greatness one reluctant step at a time.

"Some escapes lead somewhere worse."