For five years, the drought had been killing the village of Kalyra. Crops withered. Wells dried. Families packed their carts and vanished in the night. Then, one morning, the river returned—flowing the wrong way.
Its waters were cold and rich with fish, but it carried strange cargo: jewelry no one recognized, tools made from materials no villager had seen, and—most disturbingly—bodies that had yet to be born.
The village elders see the river as a miracle; the priests call it a test from the gods. But fourteen-year-old Irenna and her brother see something else: a warning. The river is not just carrying water—it is carrying time itself.
As the current grows stronger, the artifacts more personal, and the bodies more familiar, the villagers must face a terrible choice: change the fate they see coming or accept that the river is only showing them what they cannot escape.
Eleanor Vance is a critically acclaimed author known for her meticulously researched and emotionally resonant historical fiction. A former history professor, she left academia to pursue her passion for storytelling, believing that the most compelling narratives often lie hidden in the margins of official records. Her works are celebrated for their rich historical detail, complex female protagonists, and elegant prose.View all by Eleanor Vance
