In The Realm of War & Whispers, fear has a sound.
It is not a scream.
It is the slow, steady beat of drums carried on the wind.
The Hunters of Venngraith do not arrive by chance. They come at the king’s command, bound by oath and obedience. Villages know the truth long before the first black cloak appears. When the drums begin, doors are barred, lamps dimmed, and prayers whispered by those who understand what is coming.
The Hunters do not ask questions.
They do not weigh innocence.
They take what they are told to take.
When they ride, someone vanishes. Sometimes a healer. Sometimes more than one. Always without explanation. Always without return. They leave behind no blood and no struggle—only silence and the certainty that the king’s will has been done.
Elara hears the drums before most do. An herb-scribe by trade, she understands the land—the way sound carries differently before danger, the way the forest stills as if holding its breath. When the rhythm reaches her ears, she knows the Hunters are not only coming for those they name… but for those who fit the fear.
To remain is to be taken.
To run is not abandonment.
It is warning.
Elara does not flee to save herself alone. She runs to carry the sound of the drums beyond one village—to give others the chance she knows they will not be offered. Each step into the forest is a choice made for those who will never hear the drums until they are too close.
Beneath the Hunter’s Shadow is a story of pursuit and resolve, where obedience is enforced by fear, and courage is measured by what one risks for others.
Because when the Hunters come, running is not fear.
It is defiance—and hope.
Watch for more about Beneath the Hunter’s Shadow, book one of The Realm of War & Whispers Trilogy, tentative release date late February 2026.
What a great sounding story. I can’t wait for it to be here.
This sounds interesting. I can’t wait to read it.