Roots of Darkness: The Ashen Series; Book 2.5

Join Hekla and the remnants of the Bloodaxe Crew as they battle the evil, poisonous mist threatening the citizens of Istré—and perhaps all of Íseldur—in a novella following the events of Kingdom of Claw.

Traveling the Road of Bones was only the start of Hekla’s troubles.

The Bloodaxe Crew have arrived at the village of Istré—beleaguered and missing three of their members. They might be down in numbers, but Hekla “Rib Smasher” is determined they’ll complete their job all the same: defeat the monstrous, sentient mist and keep the citizens of Istré safe. What she didn’t expect is for Istré’s bullheaded chieftain to block her every move.

Exasperated, Hekla throws caution to the wind for a single passion-filled night. But to her horror, the mysterious red-cloaked warrior to whom she’s spilled her deepest secrets is the Bloodaxe Crew’s new temporary leader and ally—Eyvind Hakonsson.

Hekla must now learn to play by Eyvind’s rules while guarding her heart. But when it becomes clear that his plans align with the chieftain’s, Hekla takes matters into her own hands.

Nothing will stop her from keeping the innocent people of Istré safe—not even the man who haunts her thoughts.

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Published Jan 6, 2026

213 pages

Average rating: 8.2

5 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

fromlizaslibrary
Apr 30, 2026
9/10 stars
I loved getting Hekla’s POV! She is such a badass and one of my favorite side characters of the series so I’m really glad to have gotten a novella following her especially given the timeline and where this falls between books 2 & 3 with Silla and Rey. I didn’t initially pick this one up (honestly not really sure why) and jumped right into Dawn of the North so I did have some context as to what happens but I’m really happy I decided to go back and read it anyways. This series has quickly become a favorite of mine so I needed to have more of it before the next release and I was very curious to get the full story behind what happened while the blood axe crew were separated.
soulzone
Feb 08, 2026
7/10 stars
I would not treat this as a stand alone

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