Santha Lathagin was raised on stories—of fae and spirits, of old gods and doors best left unopened. But childhood tales offer little in a world where whispers turn to scandal, and scandal to accusation. Now, those whispers bear her name.

Shunned by her town and burdened by a past she cannot put to rest, Santha longs for more than the familiar cage of the Silver Valley. In the quiet of the forest near her home, she finds it: a rusted key resting atop a slab of stone, encircled by ancient rowan trees.

It is old.

It remembers those who came before

And now, it has chosen again.

The key draws her into a world long hidden behind lore and superstition—fading glamour, fractured courts, eldritch pacts, and laws older than men. But with each truth revealed, another price must be paid. And as something ancient stirs in the north, Santha must decide what she is willing to become … and what she is willing to lose.

Because the key does not seek escape. It was not made for freedom, nor to heed the will of mortals. Its purpose is bound in magick and memory.

It wants a keeper.

It always does.

Perfect for readers of Garth Nix, Mark Lawrence, and Naomi Novik—Beckoning of the Gate weaves dark enchantment and the fatalism of old tales into a story where every choice carries a price.