Cryptal's Champion

When Ellen — the Ülrügh’s resourceful, fragile daughter — bargains a virigin to bring needed supplies to a starving island, she sets off a chain that fractures families, exposes stolen histories, and mobilises the ancient power beneath the earth

As helicopters scour the cliffs to cower people at the behest of the charismatic, unhinged Ülrügh, Cryptals stir to answer a new, terrible Song. Ellen, weakened by illness and driven by duty, must navigate Guild betrayals, marauding devouts, and the moral cost of power. She will bargain and bribe, steal and plead — and she will learn how fragile the ties between Skyseekers, Crystalmakers and Cryptals truly are.

The island’s future hinges on a single question: can a leader forged by compromise hold a people whose survival depends on the very beings they once hunted? Only by following Ellen into tunnels, courts, and the quiet of the caves will this answer be found.

***** "Fast-paced and immediate ... chock full of action and intrigue" (Book Excellence)

***** "Verbeek returns with this poignant and engrossing second installment in the Songs of Si'Empra series as her adolescent protagonist fights for her people while struggling with inner demons" (OnlineBookClub)