In a kingdom built on ashes, a forgotten ember is about to wake. Nineteen-year-old Veerfrost believes he is nothing more than a harvester in the quiet village of Bramelholt. But he is haunted by nightmares of a fire he never witnessed and a scar on his shoulder that aches with a phantom heat. Driven by a pull he cannot understand, Veerfrost leaves his simple life to seek answers in the north, a journey that leads him to the Cinderfells and a blade that seems to remember him. When he speaks the forbidden words, "I am the flame that guards the embers", he unknowingly awakens a legacy buried for seventeen years. Summoned to Greystone Palace by the dying King Orvyn, Veerfrost is thrust into a world he is ill-equipped to survive. Recognized as the heir to the legendary "Shield of the North," he is forced into the service of a kingdom teetering on the brink of ruin. Under the cold, exacting tutelage of Princess Seraphiel, Veerfrost must transform from a farmboy into a weapon capable of holding back the dark. But the darkness is already here. From the shadows of the Duskmere, ancient, engineered horrors are rising, led by an enemy who knows Veerfrost's soul better than he does himself. As the line between duty and destiny blurs, Veerfrost must decide if he is strong enough to carry the weight of his father's ghost, or if the fire inside him will burn the world to the ground. Perfect for fans of gritty epic fantasy, A Shadow's Gambit is a tale of blood, sacrifice, and the heavy price of inheritance.