Flames in the ash

To survive in the Crimson City, you must be a ghost.

For Luca, a boy from the powerless Dull caste, this is the only rule that matters. He keeps his head down, works the grimy scullery, and dreams only of keeping his family safe.

But in the Reign of Talons, dreams turn to ash. When the monstrous Feast of Flesh claims his father and a soul-devouring dragon shatters his mother, Luca is left orphaned in a city that eats its own. He is saved from the streets by Lira, a tough, pragmatic girl who gives him a new name and a new purpose: survive. Together, they become a team, two ghosts invisible to the gods who rule their world.

Yet, a strange power stirs within Luca, a secret he doesn't understand. Flickering lights, convenient accidents, and a growing affinity for the shadows hint at a magic that operates by no known laws. It's a power that, if discovered, will mark him not just for death, but for erasure.

When their desperate search for a safe haven leads them to a hidden rebellion, Luca's secret becomes their only trump card against the overwhelming might of the dragons. But what happens when a boy with the power of a god, fueled by a lifetime of grief, finally decides he's done being prey?

He may be a ghost, but even ghosts can learn to start fires.