In Tongues & Deceit: Book 1 of the Serpent's Head: A Book of Five Winds epic grimdark fantasy - The Book of Five Winds, #1

The Past Wields the Sharpest Knives! The Hel Tundra is waking from hibernation. ??With old magic stirring, and the prophecies of legend whispering truths, ?Two exiles find themselves caught in the middle of it all. In the southern borderlands of the Tundra, where the lone city of Hirra hides more than it reveals, Kora and Rhud are called upon by fate... To answer the destiny they've spent a lifetime waiting for. At the fringes of the sprawling Hel Tundra, Kora and Rhud's trading post hides their true identities.
Still haunted by the failures of their youth, they remain outcasts. The long shadow of their past persists. Disguised as relic hunters and monster slayers, their lives are far removed from the fate they were promised as children, but a life they serve in waiting. When war brings refugees to their doorstep, it comes bound with traps and spies. Now, the true dance of fates begins. Rhud is pulled back to the war he was exiled from, and Kora is left tending to survivors who curse her touch.
The two navigate webs of betrayal, friends, violence, and politics, in a search for truth between the lies. But as Kora has all but lost her ability to wield the Winds she was destined to command, and Rhud remains the exiled captain feared for his prowess and traitorous father, the true monsters of the Hel Tundra close in... Their oldest enemy hasn't forgotten the scars they left upon him. With the deepening frost strangling the Tundra, and all chances of survival dwindling,  Kora and Rhud hold on to one truth the Winds are whispering-The Convergence is coming. Book 1 of the Serpent's Head begins the epic saga of the Book of Five Winds.
This grimdark world is full of action and adventure, quests and monsters, friends and foes, and more importantly, a failed destiny that must be fulfilled! The first installment in R. T. Stalba-Smith's series is sure to be a page-turner and edge of the seat story which delivers on deep characters, immersive world-building, and mythology that begs to be experienced! Pre-order now to reserve your seat for the coming Convergence! For audiences 18+.
This story contains violence, profanity, adult themes, and kickass-ness that will inspire young feeble minds to drop out of school and writes stories. Oh no!