Dom Cutrupi

Since surviving their expedition to the remote town of Lumberwitch, Melody and her brother, Jonathan, have spent the past year trying to unravel the mystery behind her ability to translate and understand ancient languages. Overwhelmed by the codes and symbols they discovered in the Klondike, they stumble upon an object with an inexplicable connection to everything that has plagued them to date. An enigmatic painting in a gallery room triggers Melody’s curiosity. But she’s not the only one drawn to it. Gerald Westgard, a wealthy art collector, has a vested interest in finding Kiku, the woman in the portrait. Tasked with locating her, Melody, Jonathan, and their adopted daughter, Twyla, embark on a perilous voyage to China. Escorted by a language and cartography expert and a crew of pirate-like mercenaries, they become embroiled in an age-old battle between clans and meet resistance when they learn a Buddhist monastery may be hiding secrets about Kiku. As their search continues, a flurry of twists sends them down winding paths where myths from Chinese lore become a brutal yet magical reality. Ultimately, their quest to find Westgard’s long-lost love transforms into a deadly mission, one that may have dire consequences for the future of humanity and the modern world as they know it.