Captivity

Marcella has spent her whole life in the shadow of the brooding Ben Grief, a craggy hill that watches over a lonely farmhouse and the restless sea beyond a blocked window. The world outside her stark room is a mixture of storm‑tossed waves, wind‑blown dunes of Lashnagar and a desolate, ever‑shifting landscape where sheep and dogs have vanished without a trace. Through the cracked walls she hears the cries of curlews and gulls, while the ancient ruins of Castle Lashcairn loom as silent reminders of a forgotten past.

Legends whisper through the dunes about a fierce witch‑woman who once loved Andrew Lashcairn, their wild romance ending in a sandstorm that buried the village and left the hill scarred forever. As the first summer after the great battle begins, Marcella finds herself drawn into the lingering echoes of that storm, feeling the weight of old curses and unanswered histories. The story follows her as she confronts the mysteries that lie in the sand, the sea, and the very stone of Ben Grief, setting her on a path that could change her perception of home and heritage.