The Spine of Night

To put an end to the eternal vigil of the all-powerful guardian of the last light of the gods, an unfathomable source of inexhaustible cosmic knowledge and power, Tzod, the fierce high priestess of the great jungle swamp called Bastal, braves the elements ascending an unforgiving, snow-covered mountaintop. As her long and arduous journey finally comes to an end, Tzod encounters the ancient sentinel of the bloom and its mystical blue flame and recounts the tale of how a single spore has changed the world below: a blood-soaked, centuries-old story of corruption, greed, tyranny, and destruction against the backdrop of the never-ending quest for control, influence, and illumination. But, humankind's atrocities echo through eternity, and heroes are always those who are expendable. Can a single petal of the small blue flower restore balance to the universe? —Nick Riganas