First published 2026
Professor Ember Agni stares at the message from her former student. After ten years of failed funding attempts, someone claims they've found proof of the ancient empire she believes existed beneath recorded history. Her academic career stagnates while her marriage falls apart, but this artifact could change everything. Ember abandons her safe university position and ventures into remote wilderness, determined to excavate the civilization that her colleagues dismiss as fantasy. The expedition becomes a race against time and her own resources. She pushes deeper into untouched territory, following clues that might vindicate her decade of research or destroy what remains of her reputation. As Ember uncovers fragments of humanity's forgotten origins, she confronts the wreckage of her personal life. The dig site becomes a mirror for her own buried truths. Standing between triumph and ruin, she must decide whether to preserve her relationships or pursue the discovery that could rewrite human history.
Genres: adventure, archaeology, contemporary-romance, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-discovery, race-against-time
Setting: Remote Wilderness
Period: 10 Years
590 pages · Paperback · Grand Central Publishing