THE 2025 HUGO, NEBULA, LOCUS AND IGNYTE AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST NOVELLA. A woman must rescue two lost children from a malevolent magical wood in this eerie, twisted fable. A world of uncanny creatures, deadly beauty, and shattering violence beckons... "A perfect mix of horror and fantasy." The New York TimesAt the northern edge of a valley ruled by a ruthless foreign tyrant lies a wild forest, home to otherworldly creatures and dangerous magic. The local people know never to enter—for no one who strays into the north woods is ever seen again. No one, that is, except Veris Thorn. When the children of the Tyrant vanish into the wood, Veris is summoned to rescue them. She has only one day before the creatures of the forest claim the children for their own. If she fails, her punishment will be swift and merciless. To stand a chance of surviving the wood, Veris must evade traps and trickery, ancient monsters and false friends, and the haunting memory of her last journey into the forest. Time is running short. One misstep will cost everything.