Mirror Heart

Stone does not bleed. Not unless you cut it deep enough.

Father Ambrose built a fortress of order in the valley of St. Jude. He is a man of iron rules and cold stone, a living gargoyle dedicated to keeping the ancient, green hunger of the pagan forest at bay.

But the wall has a crack. Her name is Aveline.

She is the cathedral’s laundress, the keeper of stains. She knows that Ambrose’s order is a lie. She knows the town’s peace is bought with blood. And she knows that the only thing holding back the Root caused the bleeding in the first place.

When Bishop Valerius arrives to purge the parish, the high altar begins to sweat blood. As the Inquisition tightens its grip, Ambrose is forced to make a terrible choice: sacrifice the woman he loves to save his soul, or let the cathedral fall and embrace the rot beneath the floorboards.

To save the flock, the shepherd must feed the wolves.