Howler's Den

Cyrie Emberton has been freezing for a long time.

Her magic radiates warmth that strengthens allies, heals wounds, turns ordinary people into something formidable. But it doesn't work on herself. Never has. She's learned to live with the cold at the base of her spine, the tremor in her hands when she pushes too hard. She's learned to smile and say she's fine.

When basement jobs and rat clearings lead her northeast, Cyrie starts collecting strays. Garry, who plants himself like a mountain. Vane, whose sensitivity to sound makes the world overwhelming. Magnus, whose declarations are louder than his common sense. Finch, who studies creatures with obsessive detail. Elara, whose art blurs the line between painting and reality.

Then the land starts dying.

Something ancient is pushing against weakened seals. Villages are abandoned overnight. The corruption spreads like rot through soil and stone. And at the center of it all, someone-or something-is helping it break through.

Cyrie and her mismatched pack of outcasts aren't heroes. They're freelancers chasing work, trying to survive, figuring out how to be a team without killing each other first. But they're all each other has. And sometimes that's enough.

A standalone light novel about found family, learning to accept the warmth you give others, and discovering that the people who hear your call might be exactly who you need.