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Roots of Darkness

An Ashen Series Standalone

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Roots of Darkness

By: Demi Winters
Narrated by: Islay Jacobs
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About this listen

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 has 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 that 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 was 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.

Contains mature content. A complete list of content warnings can be found on the author's website.

©2025 Demi Winters (P)2026 Podium Audio
Action & Adventure Fantasy Historical Historical Fiction Heartfelt
All stars
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Not one word of this is wasted, so worth your credit. Brilliant performance, but I’ve never heard ‘squirrel’ be pronounced so many different ways (it added to the vibes tbh)

THIS is how you do a novella

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I loved listening to this and Loved getting to know Hekla, Sigrun and Gunnar more. I was so pleased with everything the story despite being so much shorter than than the other 2 books still felt like it carried the same quality and intense story that I've loved from the series so far.

Islay Jacobs really was a fantastic pick for the voice of Hekla, she sounded exactly how i imagined she would! Honestly a wonderful 5/5 read and a must read for the series

loved Hekla even more than I did before

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Best use of a novella I have read so far. Packed with backstory, romance, plot forward, conflict and tension and really sets you up for book 3. Hekla is incredible!

This was excellent !

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Feminine rage at its finest - great production of audio book. 5 star novella, and such a great transition back to the main story.

Amazing

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I enjoyed Hekla's story in this series and it gives a good insight into the mist. I have no idea if it's essential that you read/listen to it for the series but overall it's good. She's a warrior who has to pick her battles and I'll be intrigued as to how her character contributes further to the series as a whole.

A Neat Side Quest

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