The Alchemist’s Shadow

A brilliant alchemist. A plague that feeds on blood. An ancient pact demanding sacrifice.Imesda Schatten has spent seven years working in the shadow of Volkov Castle, where glass, fire, and forbidden formulas are safer than people. When the Crimson Blight reaches the castle, she expects another disease to dissect. Instead, she discovers an ancient mark in the flesh of the dying-and the same mark burning beneath her own skin.The Blight is not spreading by chance. It is the price of a blood pact sworn by the founding families of the Marches. The Church knows the truth and has buried it beneath centuries of executions, silence, and carefully chosen sacrifices. Now the pact is weakening, the Black Forest is waking, and something beneath the Heartstone has begun to stir.As Imesda searches her father’s forbidden notes and her mother’s sealed secrets, she uncovers a truth that could destroy everything she believed about her family’s downfall. Her sister, Isme, may still be alive. The next sacrifice has already been chosen. And the answer lies deep within a forest where the trees remember every oath made in blood.With the Church closing in and the Blight reaching for her heart, Imesda must leave the safety of her laboratory and enter the darkness herself. Konrad Voss, a mercenary captain with his own reasons for distrusting the Church, may be the only ally willing to stand beside her. But trust is dangerous when every secret has a price.To save the Marches, Imesda must choose whether to renew the pact, break it, or pay the debt with the blood of her own.The Alchemist’s Shadow is a dark, atmospheric fantasy filled with forbidden alchemy, ancient magic, betrayal, and survival.If you enjoy gothic fantasy, sinister churches, haunted forests, morally complicated characters, and supernatural suspense, step into the shadow.Grab your copy today.