Orphaned as young women, Celestia and Izara De Malena find themselves
land rich but destitute, with only a failing rainforest acreage,
Celestia's perfect manners, and Izara's nascent magic to their
aristocratic names. With the last of their money running out, they enact
a dangerous plan--using a spell she doesn't fully understand, Izara
summons the Lady of the Seraphine and demands a favor: a husband for
Celestia, one rich enough to enable the De Malena sisters to keep their
land. But a favor from the river goddess always comes at a cost...
Now, five years later, rumors of war and disease are spreading,
Celestia's husband has been called away on a secret mission for the
Emperor, and the Lady of the Seraphine is back to collect her due. Izara
will be forced to leave the academy where she has been studying to
become a mage; Celestia will be pulled from her now-flourishing farm
while newly pregnant with her first child. Together, they must repay
their debt to the Lady--embarking on a mission that will put them on a
collision course with Celestia's husband, the Emperor, and a god even
more powerful than the Lady of the Seraphine.
Gorgeous, compelling, and utterly captivating, The Beholden follows
Celestia and Izara as they journey from the lush rainforest to a frozen
desert on an impossible quest to find a god who doesn't want to be found
and prevent the end of the world.
