March Darkling Dispatch
When the Iron Rusts (plus a secret from a little raven)
Hello Darklings,
The air has a different weight today.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how some stories don’t start with a word, but with a vibration—a pulse in the earth that waits centuries to be heard. For some of you, that pulse began in the shadows of a cathedral. For others, it’s been the whisper of a veil that refuses to stay closed.
Today, I have news that spans two thousand years, a bit of gossip from the shadows, and a glimpse into a dark new horizon.
The Beginning of the Debt: “When the Iron Rusts”
Before the cathedral, before Ambrose and Aveline, there was the Root and the Road.
I am so thrilled to finally share When the Iron Rusts, a prequel novella to the Cathedral of the Crows series. It’s set two millennia before Mirror Heart, in a time when the Roman legions were carving their way through the ancient wild.
It’s the story of Elowen, a keeper of the grove, and Marius, a centurion whose armor is as much a prison as it is protection. This is where the debt began—the one that echoes through every life they’ve lived since.
I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for walking these dark paths with me.
👉 Download “When the Iron Rusts” for Free Here
A Whisper from the Veil: “Death Comes Quietly”
For those of you waiting for the next chapter in the *Veilkeepers* series, the silence is about to break.
Death Comes Quietly (Veilkeepers 5) is officially scheduled for release on **March 31st**. Mary’s journey is reaching a fever pitch, and the costs of seeing what should stay hidden are coming due.
But… a little raven told me it might just slip through the veil a bit earlier than expected. I can’t promise anything, but keep your eyes on the shadows (and your inbox).
If you haven’t secured your copy yet, now is the time to ensure it’s waiting for you the moment it arrives.
👉 Preorder “Death Comes Quietly” on Amazon
Teasing the Reliquary: “The Bone Covenant”
As one door closes, another opens… and this one leads somewhere much darker.
I’m currently deep in the world of 1348, where the Black Death is sweeping through the villages. But in the Reliquary Duet, the plague is only the beginning.
Here’s a first glimpse of what’s coming.
The Bone Covenant
1348. The plague takes her.
They bury her in a mass grave.
She wakes.
The Church calls it heresy. The villagers call it witchcraft. But the Black Death is not just disease. It is something ancient, sealed beneath stone centuries ago.
And she is not immune. She is the cure.
Sent to expose her, a devout monk instead witnesses the impossible. As faith fractures and desire turns dangerous, he must decide:
Deliver her to the Church, or help her break the covenant binding something far older than God.
People often ask me how I choose the historical periods I write in. Why 1348? Why the Roman invasion? Why the Great Depression?
I’m drawn to the “hinge” moments. The times when the old world is breaking and the new one hasn’t quite solidified. These are the moments when people are most desperate, when their faith is tested, and when the veil between the ordinary and the impossible is stretched thin enough to snap.
There’s a specific kind of magic that lives in the grime of a mass grave or the cold stone of a cathedral. It’s a magic that smells like iron and old earth, and it’s the only kind I know how to tell.
Let’s Play: The Historian’s Dilemma
If you could spend one day in any historical period, with the *guarantee* that you’d see one supernatural event (and survive it!), where would you go?
The 1340s: To witness what *really* moved beneath the plague pits.
The 1930s: To hear the voices on the “dead lines” of a Manhattan seance.
The Roman Frontier: To see if the oaks really do remember their keepers.
Hit reply or leave a comment! I’ll be lurking in the shadows to see what you choose.
Books I’m Reading by Candlelight this month:
Vane - Blood on the Board
He Didn’t Save Her. He Collected Her.
When All Else Fears
Since the moment I was born, there was fear. It flooded my home during the day. It crept into my bed at night. It surrounded my family. It consumed me. And I loved it.
Where Are The Gnomes? - A Christmas Mystery
Gnomes aren't always the sweet bearded men we see in print
While You Wait: A Few More Shadows
If your shelves are feeling thin while we wait for the plague to break and the veil to open, there are other paths we can walk together.
Writing historical fantasy means I’m always surrounded by ghosts of different eras. If you haven’t yet met Mary Harrow in the earlier chapters of The Veilkeepers, or if you’ve missed the first whispers of the Cathedral of the Crows, you can find them here.
I’ve also teamed up with some wonderful authors of the dark and the historical to bring you a collection of stories to tide you over. Think of it as a small candle in a very long hallway.
Until next time, read gently.
*Kate*
I would choose the 1930’s where I could be assured of a few more creature comforts that I am used to in my more modern world.