Original Sin, The

In the lightless depths beneath the capital, history is supposed to be dead. But some secrets refuse to stay buried. Lenore Locke is a junior archivist who has spent her adult life hiding in the freezing, dead-ground sub-basements of the Conclave States. Above her, the ruthless Lectors maintain absolute power through the Covenant Vein—a divine, living contract that supposedly punishes the populace with drought and decay for their moral failings. Lenore wants nothing to do with the dangerous political machinery of the upper world; she only wants the quiet safety of her cataloging desk. But when a magical draft leads her to a hidden iron lockbox, Lenore unearths the terrifying legacy of her murdered grandmother. Inside are highly classified blueprints proving the Covenant Vein is not a divine miracle, but a massive, manually operated machine. The droughts are artificial. The starvation is engineered. And the Lectors are pulling the levers. The Original Sin is a gripping tale of grimdark fantasy and political intrigue. Thrust into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse against Daphne Dalmore—a terrifyingly powerful member of the inner council—Lenore must navigate a labyrinth of blood magic, lethal legal syntax, and crumbling subterranean architecture. To survive, she must decide whether to bury the truth and save herself, or unleash a secret that will shatter an empire forever.