Blood and Ash

“The Devil’s due is never paid in copper, and for Alistair Valerius, the debt is written in his very marrow.” In a fantasy 1600s where the Renaissance is fueled by alchemical fire and shadowed by ancient terrors, Alistair Valerius is the ultimate heresy. Born of a forbidden lineage and despised by the noble family that shares his name, Alistair’s life was meant to end in the damp archives of a subterranean school. Fate, however, has a cruel sense of humor. Betrayed by his own blood and left as an offering to the Void, Alistair survives by claiming a forbidden relic: The Diary of the Gentleman. But survival comes at a price. Stricken with the Blood Flower Curse of the "Bloody Bride," Alistair begins a slow, agonizing transformation into the very thing he was taught to hunt. Accompanied by a sentient book that values etiquette as much as exorcism, Alistair sets out on an epic journey across war-torn empires, through the haunting Land of Souls, and into the terrifying beauty of Hell’s Paradise. From sealing ancient horrors to outmaneuvering high-society vampires, he must find a way to break his curse before the vines reach his heart—or embrace his role as the monster the world truly deserves. In the shadow of the Great Coil, one thing is certain: Whether by sorcery or by steel, the ash will rise.