Empress, seductress, storm—pick your title, she wears them all.

Thelyrah is the latest in a 9,000 year long lineage of Empresses, but to those who betray her—or Nuama—she’s the last face they’ll ever see.

Yet, even legends make mistakes. One choice—reckless, compassionate, unforgivable—could burn down everything Thelyrah has fought so hard to protect. And if she falls, Nuama falls with her.

Minah is Thelyrah’s daughter, which basically makes her Empress-in-waiting—whether she wants it or not. But the crown doesn’t come free. Four Rites stand in her way, and the third—Temple Blackstone—is where most Sestras fail. No one talks about why.

Though surrounded by the love of her Mother, cousins, and Grandmothers, Minah feels deeply alone. Mithliăi, the woman she loved, has chosen another. But just when Minah thinks her heart can’t take any more, she uncovers a devastating secret that dismantles everything she thought she knew about her Mother—and herself.

Amaz, like all males in Nuama, was stripped of his wings at birth. Yet, in his youth he achieved the high honor of serving within Corestone itself. There, he was known for being unrelenting in his dedication to women’s pleasure. But one fateful afternoon he broke the core law of consent, and Thelyrah’s Mother—Empress Ahurewah—banished him.

In the years since, Amaz’s regrets have soured into resentment. Jealousy into rot. And exile into something much darker. Soon, even Amaz won’t recognize who he has become—and what he is capable of…

Te’ire carries a dangerous secret on his back. Though Nuami law demands all males have their wings removed at birth, his were left untouched. Raised in the remote northern reaches of Nuama, far from those who would strip him of his wings—or worse—Te’ire fears discovery every day.

But a hidden life is a lonely one. Save for his adoptive Mother, her Fa’loom, and a mysterious figure named Hashep, Te’ire knows no one. Some nights, he hides in the shadows, watching a society he can never be part of. One night his loneliness becomes too much, and he makes an irrevocable choice that could be his undoing…

Vorahni is a young Ensheduana in service to the pregnant and birthing women of Corestone. Every precept, law, and ethos of Nuama is meant to prevent the creation of another reality like Ihatithre. Vorahni knows this, so she watches as Empress Ahwurah’s male infant is killed, then slices off his wings herself.

Months later, Vorahni accepts an assignment to train as a Haporai—a high priestess charged with the darkest secrets of Nuama—near The Wildlands. There, she finds a lover and stumbles directly into the jaws of a fate that could swallow Nuama whole.

Tuheru is a cinnamon roll with a heart of gold.

Tuheru is a total cinnamon roll with the skills to match. A standout at Duug Respodesa, he was so highly regarded that his mentors personally delivered him to the cliffs of Corestone for Zaht’eve. While other Nauciti rely on swagger to impress the Sestras, Tuheru relies on pure devotion.

That night, Tuheru attracts the attention of Empress Thelyrah, forever altering his path.

When he faces Empress Thelyrah on her dais, he risks everything on a moment of genuine empathy—and it pays off. But Tuheru has no idea that his innocent, open heart is a rarity in the complex political landscape he has just entered.

Soon, Tuheru will have to choose—continue to love and serve without question, or face truths that will tear his soul apart.

Etanash has seen it all. The hellish landscapes of Ihatithre, the archives of Temple Blackstone, the hidden fate of Thelyrah’s first Unbroken… As Thelyrah’s Evermate, they also understand the depths of exhaustion required to hold Nuama together.