The Caged Heart

Nathaniel Thorne longs to escape Griffin's Hollow, a town whose glory days faded into dust a decade ago. As the adopted son of a respected blacksmith, his life has been dedicated to honing his craft and mastering the art of the hammer and anvil.When a mysterious mage visits the shop to request the forging of a rare and dangerous metal to crown and chain a harpy, Nathaniel recalls an old legend: bind a harpy's heart and gain immortality.Now locked in a contract with the dark mage, Nathaniel must comply. When he finally comes face to face with the mage's prize-the harpy-he realizes there is much more to this legendary creature than the rumors suggest. She is beautiful, intelligent, cunning, and above all, determined to be free.Caught in the mage's sinister ambitions, Nathaniel faces a grave decision: he can either free the harpy and break the mage's spell or succumb to a fate worse than death.THE CAGED HEART is a stand alone dark fantasy novella.