This is a story about rage.
Beneath the colossal skeleton of a slain Great Beast, Lorelei lives a quiet life in a theocratic community, where curiosity is a crime and girls are taught to serve, obey, and marry young. Reluctantly she conforms, but in her private moments dreams of having more - of studying the natural world, of learning from ancient texts, and of enjoying a life lived on her own terms, free from the oppression of powerful men.
To dress how you wish, to learn how to read, to even tie back your hair - all these things and more are forbidden to women in Lorelei's world, the rules mercilessly enforced by the local Alderman. Break one rule and you'll be whipped. Break too many and you'll be taken by the Beasts...or so the Alderman claims. One Great Beast in particular - the Malpin - craves the flesh of sinful girls and if you don't behave yourself, it will come and take you in the night. It's a tale Lorelei has been told her entire life, and one that seems conveniently concocted to keep rebellious girls in line.
When royal paladins arrive from the capital, seeking young women for their harems, Lorelei's existence of quiet rebellion is thrown into jeopardy. If these noblemen have their way, she and the other young women of Little Astor will be forced into lives of servitude and childbearing with no hope of escape.
And so Lorelei must decide: submit to the role society has chosen for her sex, or resist and risk the consequences. But how is she supposed to resist, when she has no idea what resistance looks like?
Armed only with her mind, a ribbon she is forbidden to wear, and the knowledge of the natural world she has secretly taught herself, Lorelei must find a way to fight back and damn the consequences, whatever they may be.
Except, what if that old threat - to be taken by the Beasts - isn't just empty talk? What if there is more to the Alderman's grip on power than meets the eye? Just how far are the powerful men of the kingdom willing to go to keep the womenfolk under their heel?
And how can Lorelei win against a system of oppression that has existed for centuries, a system shrouded in secrecy, a system intended to keep an entire population as ignorant and afraid as possible?
First, she will need a sword.
[No AI has been used in the creation of this work, including the cover art. Cover art created by juhaihai - find them on Instagram.]
