Love and death intertwine as the fates written for Jorinda draw her ever deeper into their embrace. Jorinda and Deineike may have escaped the clutches of the clandestine killers who seek them, but before long they are drawn back into a dangerous world where the only way to stay alive is to kill those who threaten you. When a stranger's life is endangered, an unlikely ally requests Jorinda's help, and her intervention leads to more revelations about the schemes of Styrrach, the man who longs to place her under his blade. Jorinda sets out to bring Styrrach down, determined to expose the corruption he has fostered in Dur's corridors of power and extract her own vengeance on him. Characterised by meticulous world-building and visceral, detailed action scenes, The Vermilion Cross is a gripping story of power, corruption, deceit, and revenge. With every person Jorinda kills, her mental anguish deepens, and when allies become complications, Jorinda is compelled to make difficult decisions. Living with those decisions may be the hardest thing of all. Following immediately on from the events of The Vermilion Ribbon, The Vermilion Cross is the second book of The Vermilion Saga, a secondary-world sapphic low fantasy series with sprinklings of other genres such as romance, mystery and adventure that add to its complexity. Content advisory - Violence, Mild sex, Suicide ideation