The Road of Bones
Book 1 in the 5-book ashen series
Amazon top 50 seller and Book of the Month November 2024 pick

Silla Nordvig is running for her life...
A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret which threatens them all.
Vikings meets Throne of Glass in this romantic high fantasy–featuring a woman fleeing a ruthless assassin, a slow building enemies-to-lovers romance, secrets galore, and jaw-dropping plot twists.
The Back Cover...
A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret which threatens them all.
The queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous quest: travel the treacherous Road of Bones–a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer–and go to Kopa, where a shield-house awaits her.
After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen’s ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively.
Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones?
The Road of Bones is the first of five books in the Ashen series, an epic and immersive Viking-inspired romantic fantasy.
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Supporting content
Spice Rating
The Road of Bones includes open door sex scenes and is rated 2/5 chili peppers
Trigger Warnings
The Ashen series takes place in a dark world, and is intended for audiences 18 +
- Domestic violence (discussed, some emotional abuse)
- addiction (strong themes; includes withdrawal experience)
- religious persecution
- execution by stoning
- blood letting
- violence & gore
- graphic sex
- sexual assault (implied, attempted)
- agoraphobia & social anxiety
- captivity
- mental health problems (psychosis, loss of a parent, loss of siblings)
- kidnapping
- forced drugging
Glossary
• Berskium- powder mined near Reykfjord; taken by the Klaernar to maintain their large stature and strength
• Bjáni- fool; an insult
• Brennsa- fire whiskey
• Dúlla– ‘doll’- term of endearment amongst women
• Eisa Volsik- former princess of Íseldur; was murdered by King Ivar—her body impaled upon a pillar in the pits of Askaborg
• Eystri- the eastern-most territory of Íseldur
• Flíta- phoenix-like butterflies whose wings light up when they fly. In their old age, they burst into flames, a caterpillar emerging from the ashes
• Galdra- magic-wielding person; also called Ashen; outlawed by King Ivar
• Galdur- magic itself
• Gothi- a priest of the Ursinian religion
• Hábrók- god of battle, honor, luck and weather; one of the old gods of Íseldur
• Hevrít- an Íseldurian long-bladed dagger
• Hindrium- specialized metal that inhibits magical abilities of the Galdra
• Hóra- whore
• Illmarr- scaled vampire of the sea; can be lured by eel blood and felled by rowan arrows
• Íseldur- kingdom of Ice and Fire; the island nation where this book takes place
• Ivar Ironheart- the new king of Íseldur who seized the crown from King Kjartan Volsik seventeen years ago
• Kalasgarde- a town in the north of Íseldur, located in Nordur lands
• Karthia- an isle to the south of Íseldur
• Kjartan Volsik- former king of Íseldur; murdered by King Ivar using the blood-eagle method in the pits of Askaborg
• Klaernar– King Ivar’s specialized soldiers. Also known as the King’s Claws
• Kopa- large stone city in the northern parts of Eystri territory
• Kunta- cunt; an insult
• Lébrynja- specialized, lightweight armor made of tiny leather-like scales. Worn by the Bloodaxe Crew
• Malla- goddess of love, war and death; name of one of the moons; one of the old gods of Íseldur
• Marra- goddess of knowledge, healing and peace; name of one of the moons; one of the old gods of Íseldur
• Medovukha- a Zagadkian alcoholic beverage; similar to mead and made from fermented honey
• Myrkur- god of chaos and darkness; one of the old gods of Íseldur
• Nordur- the northernmost territory of Íseldur
• Norvaland- isle northeast of Íseldur; was overthrown by Ivar’s father Harald, who now sits on the throne
• Róa- a hot beverage served in Íseldur, made from the bark of the róabush
• Saga Volsik- former princess of Íseldur; was seized by King Ivar and raised as his ward; is betrothed to his son Prince Bjorn
• Skald– a poet who composes a type of Urkan poetry, often exaggerating the deeds of kings past and present
• Skarpling- a small, mouse-sized creature with quills on its back
• Skjöld– a dried leaf taken to treat headaches
• Skógungar– a forest walker; a peaceful tree-like creature who lives in the Western Woods
• Slátrari- ‘the butcher’; a murderer who burns people from the inside out
• Sólas- Íseldurian coin currency
• Svalla Volsik- former queen of Íseldur; was murdered by King Ivar—her body impaled upon a pillar in the pits of Askaborg
• Stjarna- ‘mother of stars’; Sunnvald’s wife; goddess of weaving, fertility, guidance; one of the old gods of Íseldur
• Sudur- the southernmost territory of Íseldur; houses the capital city
• Sunnavík- capital city of Íseldur where Askaborg is found
• Sunnvald- the Sun God—king of the old gods of Íseldur; god of fire and might
• Thrall- enslaved person; in the kingdom of Íseldur they are most often brought in from Norvaland and marked on their inner wrist
• Urka- a large nation to the east of Íseldur; where the line of Urkan Kings, including Ivar Ironheart, originated
• Ursir- the Bear God worshiped by King Ivar and fellow Urkans; belief imposed upon Íseldurians
• Vampire deer- carnivorous deer who hunt mammals and drain their blood
• Vestir- the western-most territory of Íseldur; houses the Western Woods
• Wolfspider- large spider covered in shaggy gray fur
• Zagadka- mysterious island nation to the south of Íseldur
Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation Guide
Author’s note- Many of the words and names in this book are derived from Old Norse and/or Icelandic; ð and þ characters have been converted to ‘th’ and æ to ‘ae’ for readability
• Bjáni- byan-ee
• Dúlla- doo-la
• Eystri- ay-stri
• Flíta- flee-ta
• Hevrít- hev-reet
• Hjarta- h-yar-ta
• Hver- kveh-r
• Hvíta- kvee-ta
• Íseldur- ees-eld-oor
• Klaernar- klite-nar
• Kunta- koo-nta
• Lébrynja- lyeh-bryn-ya
• Myrkur- mihr-koor
• Nordur- nor-door
• Reykfjord- rake-fyoord
• Róa- r-oh-a
• Signe- sig-nuh
• Skjöld- shk-ul-d
• Skógungar- shk-oon-gar
• Slátrari- sl-ow-trar-ee
• Stjarna- stya-tna
• Sudur- soo-door
• Urka- oor-ka
• Vestir- vest-eer
Map of Íseldur

Follow Silla’s progress along the Road of Bones with this hand-drawn map of the Kingdom of Íseldur!
Meet the Characters
Meet the characters of the Ashen series, explore scene and character art, maps and more.

Praise for The Road of Bones



What To Read Next

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They’ve murdered her family. Stolen her throne. And now they expect her to marry their son. But when she discovers her foster mother has been keeping the biggest secret of all, everything changes.
Saga’s plan: dismantle Queen Signe’s plans piece by piece–by any means necessary. The only problem? The handsome Zagadkian dignitary who is now trying to blackmail her.
Bonus Content
Sign up for Demi Winter’s newsletter below and you’ll have the option to download Chapter 63 from The Road of Bones in Rey’s POV or a preview chapter from Hekla’s POV novel!
