Csorwe was raised by a death cult steeped in old magic. And on her fourteenth birthday, she ll be sacrificed to their god. But as she waits for the end, she s offered a chance to escape her fate. A sorcerer wants her as his assistant, sword-hand and assassin. As this involves her not dying that day, she accepts.

Csorwe spends years living on a knife-edge, helping her master hunt an artefact which could change many worlds. Then comes the day she s been dreading. They encounter Csorwe s old cult – seeking the same magical object – and Csorwe is forced to reckon with her past. She also meets Shuthmili, the war-mage who ll change her future.

If she s to survive, Csorwe must evade her enemies, claim the artefact and stop the death cult once and for all. As she plunges from one danger to the next, the hunt is on . . .

The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood is the incredible first epic fantasy in the Serpent Gates duology.