Rise of the Witnesses (Blight of Divinity)

She swore never to use the dark magic that shattered her home and consumed her closest friend. But the twisted temptations aren’t so easily denied, not when the god of desire seeks her soul.

Sixteen-year-old Ayela survives on the scraps of Hatave’s slums. Her only goal: to protect her foster siblings from their cruel caretaker. But when the sister she trusts most surrenders her soul to Erithia, the seductive god of death and desire, Ayela’s home is reduced to ash.

Now haunted by divine temptations, Ayela must navigate a city where gold buys silence and mercy is a luxury of the rich. Erithia offers salvation, to restore all she’s lost, but the price is her soul.

In a world of corrupting magic and veiled puppetmasters, Ayela must forge a path to survival. Together with her childhood friend, Lillia, and an exiled druid, Bahn, Ayela finds refuge in a disgraced band of mercenaries. A flicker of hope burns with this new found family. But the temptations of Erithia's magic linger, and their shadows are all too cunning. Ayela must resist the darkness clawing at her soul or become the very monster that cost her everything.

TROPES
Found Family, Pantheon of Gods, Evil is Sexy, Elemental Magic, Underworld, The Underdog, Deal with The Devil, LGBT, Friends to Lovers, Flawed Gods, You Were My Brother

TRIGGER WARNINGS
Abuse, Gore, Addiction, Abandonment

For fans of dark fantasy, slow-burn romance sub-plots, and villainous gods.
Perfect for readers of Sword and Sorcery who love Dungeons & Dragons, morally grey characters, and high-stakes adventure.