Nicolette Andrews

In a struggle between gods, a young witch and the village she protects are caught in the crossfire. The dark god's cult aims to sweep up not just the village, but the entire country. An unlikely force must stand against the onslaught....

Beneath the murky waters of the lake, an ancient being slumbers, and Brygida is its servant. Kept sheltered in the woods by her mothers from the nearby village, Brygida has never had so much as a friend - until the day she meets a charming stranger painting by the lake....

After her life nearly fell apart, Brygida finally knows her place: away from the village, with her mothers, healing the slumbering wood to keep the nightmares at bay. Her family grimoire warns that the wood may never be allowed to wake, and she claims that duty for her own....

Before the night of the winter solstice, Brygida has everything: her mothers, a full heart, and possibly a place in two worlds. But between those worlds is the darkness, and when it comes time to make the offering to the dark god, the lady of Rubin falls in...and so does Brygida....