Orchards Keepers Daughter

The Orchard's Hunger
In the mist-shrouded valley of Marrow's Edge, the Wynter family's orchard holds a dark secret: its unnatural bounty comes at a terrible cost. Calla Wynter, a struggling artist estranged from her haunted past, returns home for her brother Ellis's funeral, only to uncover a chilling truth. The orchard, bound by an ancient pact to a deity-like presence called the Root Mother, feeds on the blood and memories of her family to sustain the town. As storms rage and the Red Tree's crimson leaves whisper her name, Calla discovers Ellis's death was no suicide-he was punished for trying to break the curse that claimed their father and stole pieces of her own childhood.

Faced with a grim choice-sacrifice her memories to save the town or burn the orchard and risk unleashing the Root Mother's wrath-Calla must confront the roots of her family's legacy. With a mysterious talisman as her only weapon, she navigates a labyrinth of tunnels, fractured visions, and a village steeped in fear and tradition. The Orchard's Hunger is a gripping tale of inherited guilt, the seductive pull of duty, and the price of memory, woven with eerie imagery of mist, crows, and glowing fruit. Will Calla bind herself to the orchard forever, or can she break the pact and free her family's soul-at the cost of everything she knows?