The Travalaithi Empire is in a state of unrest, and the sleepy frontier town of Widowvale was meant to be a refuge far from the looming civil war. But when the local militia’s hunt for a lowly poacher turns up a mysterious child at the heart of an unreliable prophecy, the town’s fortunes are transformed forever, and the deadly troubles of the outside world are brought home for the harvest. Coming of age in this uneasy world was hard enough as a simple farmer. But when Aewyn’s heroic destiny comes crashing home, and her ancient mentor stands accused of treason, the supposed Chosen One faces a choice of her own: will she fulfill the destiny she’s been given—or sacrifice it all to save her town and her friends? This moving and poignant “small-town epic” is Cynehelm Press’s first book, and the first entry in its flagship fantasy series, the Travalaith Saga.

The women of the Mages' Uprising were never known to take civil war lying down. But Catrine and her fellow war-widows are determined to do just that, avenging their lost husbands, lives, and innocence by engaging in a sustained campaign of seduction and espionage against the Travalaithi Empire that could change the course of the war. But when Catrine falls in love with her hapless mark, and and both of them are thrown into a deadly conflict involving Aewyn and her roguish band of Havenari outriders, the lovestruck spy must choose once and for all where her true allegiance lies—and decide whether her heart belongs to the living or the dead. The Travalaith Saga continues, grows, and takes a darker turn in this moving chronicle of high adventure, civil war, and deadly intrigue.