First There Was War (The Stonemaiden)

By E A RAYNER

For what can one do, when the powers that once forged this earth now seek to destroy it?

Teolyn has spent a life fighting battles on multiple fronts. Heir to an estate she wants no part of, daughter to a father she should have killed when she had the chance, denizen of a world that waged war against the Gods-and won.

When a violent coup leaves her for dead, salvation comes in the form of a stranger from a broken land. He brings dire news: the Gods are scheming, and the world teeters on the brink of annihilation. Before Teo can dismiss him as mad, a dangerous encounter with his pursuer awakens something ancient within her:

The power to wield living stone.

It is a gift that comes with the bonus of an unwelcome voice inside her head, and the attention of deadly forces that have spent centuries ensuring such abilities remain buried-along with the women who once wielded them.

Hunted and outmatched, Teo gathers an unlikely band of allies: a grieving scholar, a foul-mouthed mercenary, and a powerful stranger whose appetite for chemical oblivion rivals his mysterious past. Together, they journey across a vast and fractured empire toward the reclusive God of War, whose tragic history may hold the answers Teo desperately seeks.

Time is running out and one thing becomes clear: Teo's newfound power may not be a gift-but rather the key that is so desperately sought by those who wish to end it all.

170k words.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FBBCY22K
• ISBN13: 9798231827978
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: E a Rayner
• Length: 572 Pages
• Weight: 1.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.3" x 6.0"