The Ferryman of Silent Bells

For generations, Bellweather's ferrymen have carried the dead across the River Veil through three sacred bells: recognition, release, and surrender. Then every bell rings at once. The river reverses, empty funeral boats drift upstream, and souls vanish before reaching the other side. Inside one returning boat, apprentice ferryman Tavian Grey finds Elara Senn—a girl buried three days earlier, alive and carrying a warning from between worlds.

Thousands of souls are trapped, their true names are being stolen, and something beneath Bellweather has awakened. Tavian crosses toward a forbidden kingdom with Elara, a disgraced priest whose sword cannot be drawn, a fearless smuggler, and a creature that feeds on ghosts. Their path leads to Lament, a city built from unfinished dreams, abandoned loves, and words the dead never spoke. There Tavian learns that death is not simply a natural law. It is an ancient agreement—and the night his mother disappeared into the river may be where its breaking began.