Riven wakes with no name, no past, and a body carved by wounds that should have killed him. The villagers who found him in the river see only a scarred stranger who survived the impossible. Riven sees a blank life and one terrible certainty: something was taken from him, and if he wants it back, he must reach the Mistwood and find the legendary Runeheart Reliquary before the Ashen Moon ends. With no memory to guide him, the quest is madness. Staying behind may be worse. The road pulls him toward forbidden places, old magic, and a companion who carries secrets of her own. Rowena is sharp, capable, and far more connected to the dangers around them than she first admits. Their uneasy alliance becomes harder to keep simple as trust grows between them and attraction slips through the cracks in Riven's defenses. Yet every mile toward the Mistwood seems to stir enemies who remember pieces of a history Riven cannot. Whispers of rebellion, old loyalties, and violence suggest that the man he used to be may have left consequences waiting for him. Rowena knows more than she wants to say, and the closer they come to the Runeheart, the more dangerous the truth becomes for both of them. Riven wants his memories back, but memory is not the same as innocence. If the Reliquary can restore what was lost, it may also force him to face what he once chose, whom he once hurt, and why someone wanted him dead. The Ashen Moon is closing in, and the past is coming with it. To survive, Riven must decide whether the man he is becoming matters more than the man he cannot remember.
Riven wakes with no name, no past, and a body carved by wounds that should have killed him. The villagers who found him in the river see only a scarred stranger who survived the impossible. Riven sees a blank life and one terrible certainty: something was taken from him, and if he wants it back, ...