A relentless girl. A ruthless mage. A past that could destroy them both. Forty years ago, Riha's people bowed their heads in submission to the crown of the plains in exchange for their lives. Four years ago, Riha lost her parents in a rockslide, and learned not to trust in the false promises of tomorrows. But when she discovers that the crown’s woodcutters have traveled deep into her woods, Riha realizes they could destroy one of her people’s last hidden treasures. False promises or not, that isn’t something she can stand by and watch. When the queen assigns Lukai his first task as a full mage, sending him back to the lands his grandfather helped conquer, he promises himself he won't fail as everyone seems to expect. It's a simple enough mission: oversee the harvest of wood for the new royal palace… except the forest folk are known to be cunning and unreliable. When they start causing trouble, Lukai knows to respond with brutal efficiency. But when he takes a young woman hostage, promising her execution if her people don't cooperate, he finds himself hurtling toward a future he would do almost anything to avoid. Riha of the Woods is being released on a chapter-a-month basis to the author's newsletter and Patreon subscribers, with a full release planned thereafter.