War Reaches the Monastery

Nadezhda "Nadya" Lapteva, a young cleric in the snowy mountains of Kalyazin, is one of the last with the ability to commune with the gods and wield their magic. Her peaceful life is shattered when the Tranavian army, led by the infamous blood mage prince Serefin Meleski, attacks her monastery. The invasion is brutal, and Nadya is forced to flee, leaving behind her only family and friends, including her closest companion, Kostya, who sacrifices himself so she can escape. The war, once distant, has come for her, and Nadya realizes she is now the key to her country's survival.

Divine Power Unleashed

As Nadya flees with Anna, another survivor, she draws on her unique ability to speak with the gods, channeling their power in ways no one else can. Her prayers manifest as miracles—ice, fire, and light—turning her into a living weapon. But the gods are not always kind, and their demands are absolute. Nadya's faith is both her strength and her burden, as she grapples with the cost of wielding such power in a world that is losing its faith.

Fleeing Into Darkness

On the run, Nadya and Anna encounter two Akolan refugees, Rashid and Parijahan, and a mysterious Tranavian blood mage, Malachiasz. Though he is the enemy, Malachiasz offers an alliance: he, too, wants to end the war and overthrow the corrupt Tranavian king. Forced by circumstance, Nadya joins this uneasy group, hiding her true identity as a cleric while learning that not all heretics are monsters—and not all monsters are heretics.

The Enemy Prince

High Prince Serefin Meleski, a prodigy blood mage and general, is obsessed with finding the rumored Kalyazi cleric. Haunted by his father's manipulations and the horrors of war, Serefin is both hunter and hunted. He is called back to Tranavia for a political marriage, but beneath the surface, he suspects his father's ambitions are far more sinister. Serefin's journey is one of paranoia, trauma, and a desperate search for meaning in a world that has made him a weapon.

Blood and Betrayal

As Nadya's group travels through war-torn lands, alliances are tested. Malachiasz's motives are unclear, and his past as a Vulture—a member of Tranavia's most feared magical cult—casts a long shadow. Nadya is drawn to him, even as she fears what he is. Meanwhile, Serefin uncovers evidence of Kalyazin's desperation and Tranavia's growing reliance on blood magic, hinting at a coming catastrophe.

Gods and Heretics

Nadya's relationship with her gods becomes strained as she questions their intentions and the morality of her mission. Malachiasz challenges her beliefs, arguing that power is not inherently divine or heretical—it is what one does with it. Their philosophical debates are charged with tension and attraction, blurring the lines between enemy and ally, faith and heresy.

Monsters in the Shadows

The group is ambushed by the Vultures, monstrous blood mages twisted by their own magic. Malachiasz's true nature is revealed: he is not just a defector, but the Black Vulture, the cult's lost king. The confrontation is brutal, and Nadya is forced to use both divine and forbidden magic to survive. The cost is high—her faith is shaken, and her trust in Malachiasz is nearly destroyed.

The Vultures Descend

Crossing into Tranavia, Nadya and her companions infiltrate the capital under false identities. The city is a den of intrigue, ruled by the king and haunted by the Vultures. Nadya must navigate court politics, deadly rivals, and the ever-present threat of discovery. Serefin, now back at court, finds himself a pawn in his father's deadly game, as the king's obsession with power grows.

Crossing Enemy Lines

Nadya poses as a Tranavian noblewoman to enter the Rawalyk, a deadly competition to become the prince's consort. She must duel other blood mages, survive assassination attempts, and charm Serefin—all while hiding her true nature. Malachiasz, now acting as her protector, manipulates events from the shadows, his own agenda hidden. The lines between friend and foe blur as the stakes rise.

Masks and Deceptions

Serefin and Nadya, each playing their own game, begin to uncover the king's plot: he seeks to become a god through a forbidden ritual, using the blood of powerful mages—including his own son. Malachiasz's role becomes more ambiguous, as it is revealed he was the architect of the ritual's theory, and his return to Tranavia may be part of a larger, darker plan.

The King's Deadly Ambition

As the Rawalyk devolves into chaos, Serefin is betrayed and nearly killed, only to be resurrected with strange new powers. Nadya, captured and tortured, discovers the limits of her faith and the true nature of her magic—it is hers, not the gods', and it is both a gift and a curse. The king, now wielding godlike power, prepares to destroy Kalyazin and cement his rule.

The Coup in the Cathedral

In a final confrontation in the desecrated cathedral, Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz face the king. Nadya and Serefin, each transformed by their ordeals, join forces. Malachiasz's betrayal is revealed: he orchestrated events so Nadya would kill the king, allowing Malachiasz to seize the power for himself. The gods' veil over Tranavia is broken, and the world is changed forever.

The Price of Power

Nadya kills the king, but the victory is hollow. Malachiasz drinks the king's blood, completing the ritual and transforming into something monstrous—neither god nor man, but a new kind of horror. Nadya, heartbroken and betrayed, realizes she has been a pawn in a game far larger than herself. Serefin, now king, is left to pick up the pieces of a shattered nation.

The Veil Shatters

With the gods' return, magic floods Tranavia, but the cost is immense. Nadya's relationship with her gods is forever altered—she is no longer their pawn, but their equal, and perhaps their rival. Serefin, changed by his near-death and new powers, must decide what kind of king he will be. The world stands on the brink of a new age, uncertain and dangerous.

The Monster Ascends

In the aftermath, Malachiasz, now fully unmade and remade by the ritual, disappears into the darkness, his humanity lost. He is a warning and a promise: power without restraint is monstrous, and the line between savior and destroyer is perilously thin. Nadya and Serefin are left to face the consequences of their choices, and the war's true end remains uncertain.

The Aftermath of Betrayal

The war is not truly over. Nadya, Serefin, and their surviving allies must rebuild, haunted by loss, betrayal, and the knowledge that the greatest threats may come from within. The gods are silent, the monsters are loose, and the future is unwritten. The story ends with hope and dread entwined, as the survivors look toward a world forever changed by faith, magic, and the choices of wicked saints.

Characters

Nadezhda "Nadya" Lapteva

Nadya is a seventeen-year-old Kalyazi cleric, the last of her kind able to commune with the entire pantheon of gods. Raised in a monastery, she is both innocent and fiercely determined, shaped by loss and the burden of divine expectation. Her faith is her anchor, but also her prison—she is expected to be a weapon, a martyr, and a savior. Nadya's journey is one of self-discovery: she learns that her power is not a gift to be used blindly, but a force she must claim for herself. Her relationships—with Anna, Kostya, Malachiasz, and Serefin—force her to question the nature of good, evil, and the cost of obedience. By the end, Nadya is transformed: no longer a pawn of the gods, but a woman who has tasted freedom, love, and betrayal, and must decide what kind of saint—or monster—she will become.

Malachiasz Czechowicz

Malachiasz is a Tranavian blood mage, a defector from the Vultures, and ultimately revealed as their lost king, the Black Vulture. He is brilliant, manipulative, and deeply broken, shaped by torture and the loss of his humanity. Malachiasz is both seducer and victim, desperate to save Tranavia but willing to use any means—including lies, betrayal, and forbidden magic. His relationship with Nadya is fraught with tension, attraction, and mutual destruction; he is both her enemy and her mirror. Malachiasz's arc is a descent into monstrosity: he orchestrates the king's death, drinks his blood, and becomes something neither god nor man. His tragedy is that he seeks salvation but finds only damnation, and his final act is to disappear into darkness, unmade by his own ambition.

Serefin Meleski

Serefin is the High Prince of Tranavia, a prodigy blood mage and general, scarred by war and his father's cruelty. He is witty, self-deprecating, and deeply traumatized, struggling with alcoholism and a sense of purposelessness. Serefin's relationship with his father is toxic, and he is both a tool and a threat in the king's quest for power. His pursuit of the cleric is both political and personal, and his encounters with Nadya and Malachiasz force him to confront his own beliefs and desires. Serefin's arc is one of survival and reluctant leadership: betrayed, killed, and resurrected with strange new powers, he becomes king in a world forever changed, haunted by the knowledge that power corrupts and that the line between savior and monster is thin.

Anna Vadimovna

Anna is Nadya's closest friend and fellow survivor of the monastery's destruction. She is pragmatic, protective, and deeply religious, serving as Nadya's conscience and anchor. Anna's journey is one of sacrifice: she chooses to part ways with Nadya to warn Kalyazin, embodying the cost of war and the pain of losing one's home and family. Her absence is keenly felt, and she represents the world Nadya is fighting to save.

Rashid Khajouti

Rashid is an Akolan refugee, a scribe and storyteller with a quick wit and a loyal heart. He provides comic relief and emotional support, helping Nadya and Parijahan navigate the dangers of war and court. Rashid's pragmatism and warmth contrast with the darkness of the world, and his friendship is a lifeline for Nadya as she faces betrayal and loss.

Parijahan Siroosi

Parijahan is an Akolan noblewoman exiled by tragedy, driven by a desire for revenge and justice. She is resourceful, protective, and unafraid to challenge authority. Parijahan's relationship with Nadya is one of mutual respect and support, and her presence grounds the group. She is a reminder that the war's victims are many, and that survival often means making impossible choices.

Kostya (Konstantin)

Kostya is Nadya's childhood friend and fellow acolyte, known for his humor and loyalty. His death during the monastery's fall is a defining trauma for Nadya, shaping her quest for justice and her struggle with guilt. Kostya's memory haunts Nadya, and the pendant he gives her becomes a key to unlocking forbidden truths about the gods and magic.

Izak Meleski

Izak is the king of Tranavia, a weak blood mage obsessed with power and legacy. He is manipulative, ruthless, and ultimately self-destructive, willing to sacrifice his own son and countless innocents to become a god. Izak's ambition drives the plot's central conflict, and his death is both a victory and a tragedy, as it unleashes forces beyond anyone's control.

The Vultures (Rozá, Żywia, etc.)

The Vultures are Tranavia's elite blood mages, twisted by their own magic into something inhuman. They are both a political force and a supernatural threat, serving as the king's enforcers and Malachiasz's former subjects. Their presence is a constant reminder of the dangers of unchecked power and the cost of ambition.

Pelageya (The Witch)

Pelageya is a Kalyazi witch and seer, exiled to Tranavia and serving as the queen's advisor. She is enigmatic, wise, and slightly mad, offering cryptic guidance and warnings. Pelageya's prophecies frame the story's themes of fate, choice, and the cyclical nature of violence. She is a bridge between worlds, and her presence signals that the old order is ending.

Plot Devices

Dual Narrative Structure

The novel alternates between Nadya's and Serefin's perspectives, allowing readers to experience both sides of the war and the personal struggles of faith, power, and identity. This structure creates tension and empathy, as each character's choices ripple across the narrative, culminating in their fateful convergence.

Magic as Faith and Heresy

The central conflict is built on the dichotomy between Kalyazin's god-granted magic and Tranavia's heretical blood magic. The novel explores the nature of power: is it a gift, a curse, or simply a tool? Nadya's journey from blind faith to self-empowerment, and Malachiasz's descent from idealism to monstrosity, interrogate the costs of belief and the dangers of dogma.

Masks, Deception, and Identity

Disguise and deception are constant: Nadya hides as a noblewoman, Malachiasz conceals his true identity, and Serefin navigates a court of lies. The Rawalyk competition is a literal and metaphorical mask, where survival depends on performance. The theme of identity—chosen, imposed, or stolen—drives character development and plot twists.

Foreshadowing and Prophecy

Prophecies, dreams, and omens (such as the recurring motif of blood rain and moths) foreshadow the story's climactic betrayals and transformations. Pelageya's cryptic warnings and the gods' silence build a sense of fatalism, while the characters' attempts to defy fate highlight the tension between destiny and free will.

Betrayal and the Cost of Power

The plot is propelled by betrayals—personal, political, and spiritual. Malachiasz's ultimate betrayal is both shocking and inevitable, the culmination of his and Nadya's intertwined arcs. The cost of power is literalized in blood, sacrifice, and the loss of self. The novel's climax is a meditation on the dangers of seeking salvation through violence and the impossibility of clean victories.

Analysis

is a dark, Slavic-inspired fantasy that interrogates the nature of faith, power, and identity in a world riven by holy war. Emily A. Duncan crafts a narrative where the lines between good and evil, divine and monstrous, are blurred beyond recognition. The novel's central question—what does it mean to be chosen, and at what cost?—is explored through the intertwined fates of Nadya, Serefin, and Malachiasz. Nadya's journey from obedient cleric to self-empowered agent challenges the idea that faith must be blind or absolute; her eventual realization that her magic is her own, not the gods', is both liberating and terrifying. Malachiasz embodies the dangers of unchecked ambition and the seductive pull of power, while Serefin's arc is a meditation on trauma, survival, and reluctant leadership.

The book's use of dual perspectives, unreliable narrators, and shifting allegiances creates a sense of moral ambiguity and psychological depth. The gods are not benevolent; the monsters are not wholly evil; and the heroes are deeply flawed. The story warns against the dangers of fanaticism, the seduction of easy answers, and the belief that salvation can be found through violence or sacrifice. In the end, Wicked Saints