Hall of Smoke

Hall of Smoke by H. M. Long draws readers into a world of gods, warriors, and ancient powers. The story follows Hessa, an Eangi - a warrior priestess of the Goddess of War, endowed with the formidable ability to reduce an enemy's bones to dust with her scream. Banished for defying her goddess's command to murder a traveller, she seeks forgiveness alone on a mountainside.

While she is absent, raiders decimate her village and annihilate the Eangi priesthood. Now grieving and isolated, Hessa, the last of the Eangi, must locate the traveller, atone for her transgression, and secure her place among her loved ones in the High Halls. As northern clans and southern legionaries ravage her homeland, leaving destruction in their wake, Hessa fights to regain her goddess's favour.

Confronted by fanatic soldiers, deceitful gods, and newly awakened demons, Hessa carves a path towards redemption and vengeance. Her journey uncovers a chilling truth: the gods are dying, and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading. With each unanswered prayer, Hessa's faith in her goddess wanes.

Drawn into a conflict between the deities of the Old World and the New, Hessa discovers that more than her own afterlife is at risk. Ancient forces lie dormant beneath the surface of her world, and they are on the verge of awakening.