An Ember in the Ashes

Set in a brutal empire modeled on ancient Rome, this story follows Laia, a young woman living in poverty with her family until her brother is arrested for treason. To secure his rescue, she agrees to work as a spy for rebels, infiltrating the Empire's foremost military academy. There she encounters Elias, the academy's most capable soldier who secretly longs for freedom from the tyranny he is trained to uphold. Their fates become bound together in ways that could alter the Empire itself.