Elissa, a villager from the northern mountains, attempts to save her brother and ends up trapped in a hidden valley with a strange host and a treacherous enemy.
Picking a rose had to be one of the stupidest reasons for capture in all of Aslaria. And Elissa’s brother had to be the one to do it. Without resources to mount a proper rescue, Elissa settles for the next best thing. Exchanging her freedom for his.
If he can keep her younger sisters safe while the nation teeters on the edge of war, then anything is worth his life.
But the hidden valley houses one of her nation’s oldest secrets. A secret her brother accidentally became entangled with, when he picked a single perfect rose…
As her world crumbles into war, Elissa can no longer dream of safety for only her family. The secrets that surround her, jealously guarded by her strange, silent host, aren’t just critical to her own fate. They are built into the fate of the entire world.
