After decades of war, battle-mage Saya Duskbane expected to die with a weapon in her hand. Instead, she survives—only to lose everything she fought for: her family, her purpose, and the magic she once trusted. When illness nearly ends her life, one question remains: What do you do when the fight is over, but the wounds remain? With nothing left in the North but war stories and ghosts, Saya flees to her mother’s abandoned cottage in the warm, sea-swept village of Spring Hill. The cottage is crooked, the roof leaks, and something is definitely living in the walls—but it’s hers. She intends to spend her quiet days repairing her cottage as she heals. She does not intend to acquire a loyal hound, a stubborn old maid, a cottage full of small mysteries, unpredictable magic, or a village determined to welcome her home. But as Saya begins to stitch a new life together, her magic stirs—not with violence, but with something softer and older. Something her mother once whispered about: magic meant not for battle, but for belonging. To rebuild her home—and herself—Saya must face the grief she outran, the magic she fears, and the quiet truth that healing is its own kind of courage. A cozy fantasy for readers of T. Kingfisher, Travis Baldree, and The Spellshop —a story of second chances, soft magic, rekindled hope, and the strange, wonderful ways we find home after the world falls apart.