Having escaped the land of Aerba, Samphire, Valerian, and their friends continue in their quest to find Samphire's brother, Malachite, and Aerba's legendary Fire Opal. But their travels are complicated by Aerba and Flos teetering on the edge of war.

Now knowing of the existence of Magic, and the Fire Opal's possible power, they continue on in the hope that they can recover the stolen Artefact, and Malachite - but hope is fading fast.

With a long journey ahead, and time against them, Samphire and Valerian find their love tested, and heartbreak before them. And when a friend from Samphire's past reappears and new tensions arise, can they not just overcome them, but also stay one step ahead of the assassins that dog their steps as they try to reach Malachite before they're out of time?

Aerin Apeltun is an English writer based in the East of England. She started writing stories as a child, and has always loved reading about fantasy worlds. Aerin now loves to develop and write about her own worlds and mythologies. Having been listed in a number of writing competitions, Aerin's Upper YA Romantasy, Crystal Bloods, was published by Elsewhen Press in February 2025, with a sequel to follow in 2026. Upper YA Fantasy Romance trilogy, The Cursed Weapons, out now, will be followed by a New Adult Historical Romantasy duology scheduled for 2026/7; she is always busy working on something! A Second Class Archer, Aerin has had various careers in school/university administration and insurance, as well as a stint at the local library, but writing is her passion. She also loves to draw, and is a keen fantasy cartographer, designing maps for her worlds. Aerin enjoys travelling, taking inspiration from nature and landscapes for settings and characters in her books.