The Road of Bones Recap: Everything You Need to Know Before Dawn of the North

Dawn of the North by Demi Winters, the third book in the Ashen series, is releasing on February 3rd, 2026. In this Viking inspired fantasy romance series, we follow Saga and Silla, two Volsik sisters and heirs to the throne of Iseldur.

Silla has been in hiding for most of her life, unaware of her true identity as Eisa Volsik. When Queen Signe’s Klaerna finally find Eisa, her foster father is murdered, forcing her onto the run just to survive.

Saga, on the other hand, has spent most of her life among the invading Urcans, living as a political hostage and engaged to the crown prince. While outwardly compliant, she has been biding her time, preparing to claim who she was always meant to be: the Queen of Iseldur.

Full of magic (or should I say Galdur), intrigue, and adventure, the Ashen series is a plot driven romantic fantasy that’s well reviewed for a reason. This guide covers everything you need to know before Dawn of the North arrives.

This post includes a quick summary of The Road of Bones, The Kingdom of Claw, and Roots of Darkness.

The Road of Bones Recap

Silla Nordvig goes from village to village with her foster father. One day, she is hunted by the Queen of Íseldur. Her father helps her escape and dies protecting her. As he dies, he tells her he is not her real father and that she must go to Kopa.

Silla sees hallucinations of a blonde little girl who speaks to her. She sees this girl after taking medicinal leaves, which she has become addicted to. These leaves are actually suppressing her Galdra, or magic, but Silla is unaware that she has any magical abilities. Galdra are put to the pillar and burned alive in Íseldur.

She begins traveling the Road of Bones, a notorious travel path known for bandits and war parties. After being attacked, she climbs into the wagon of a group of mercenaries, the Bloodaxe crew. She bargains with them to take her to the next stop, agreeing to convince the former leader of the crew, Kraki, to give them information and to cook for them.

The leader, Rey, immediately distrusts Silla, knowing she is hiding something, but begrudgingly agrees. Silla begins bonding with his second in command, Jonas Svik. The two start spending time together and eventually become intimate.

A Galdra named Skraeda, bound to the Queen, begins hunting Silla.

Rey and Silla slowly form a reluctant friendship. Rey helps Silla quit the leaves, and she goes through withdrawals. During combat, Silla’s arms begin glowing, revealing her magical abilities. Rey helps her hide it.

The Bloodaxe crew learns the Queen is hunting Silla but agrees to stand by her.

The Road of Bones is haunted by the Slautiri, a magical monster that leaves its victims burned to cinders.

The crew is ambushed by Klaerna searching for Silla. Ilias, Jonas’s reckless brother, runs into battle and is killed. Jonas, Rey, and Hekla are devastated.

Jonas, consumed by grief, realizes there is a bounty on Silla’s head and turns her in. Silla is imprisoned in Kopa, where the commander plans to force her through her cohesion rite. Using the self defense lessons Hekla taught her, Silla kills the commander.

Rey rescues Silla from Kopa. When they are ambushed by guards in the city, Rey reveals his own Galdra, Ashbringer intuition, manifesting as smoke. He kills the guards, revealing himself as the Slautiri and terrifying Silla. They flee Kopa together.

In the epilogue, Saga, Silla’s sister, is revealed to be alive and engaged to the crown prince, Bjorn. She learns that her sister Eisa is alive and is filled with new hope.

Kingdom of Claw

Saga Volsik is held at court and is engaged is engaged to Prince Bjorn as part of the peace arrangement and is used as leverage after the invasion of Íseldur by the Urcans. Saga is a Galdra which she calls her sense. She can hear thoughts, and struggles with severe anxiety and agoraphobia while secretly working to protect her sister.

Queen Signe is actively hunting Silla but changes tactics to gather information and give her false confidence. Saga uses hidden tunnels, forged letters, and stolen keys to interfere with Signe’s plans.

A distant kingdom called Zagadka sends dignitaries to discuss a treaty and grain trade. Saga becomes friendly with Kassandr Rurik, a Zagadkan delegate. Rurik helps her forge letters and how to pick locks in exchange for Saga showing him the tunnels.

Silla is on the run with Reynir Galtung. Rey is revealed to be the Slautari, the notorious murderer of the Road of Bones. Silla is revealed as the Eisa Volsik, the younger princess.

Jonas blames Silla for his brother Elias’s death and commits to hunting both her and Rey.

Silla and Rey reach a Shield House in Kalasgarde, where Silla begins training her galdra under Harpa. Harpa is revealed to be Rey’s grandmother and a former Volsik supporter. Rey and his family has been working for the Uppreisna.

In Kalasgarde, children and livestock are disappearing, tied to a mysterious creature.

Harpa, a weaver herself, reluctantly agrees to take Silla as apprentice. Silla realizes she was previously primed without consent and struggles to manifest her power. After an emotional breakdown, Silla fully surrenders and successfully awakens her Galdra.

Saga uncovers that Queen Signe is harvesting Galdra using a microbe procedure to transfer magic to soldiers. Saga discovers imprisoned Galdra and learns Magnus Hansson is the Black Cloak working with Signe.

Princess Yrsa is of age and a big feast is thrown. Rurik is chosen as her champion to fight in her honor. During combat, Rurik displays unnatural speed and strength in combat. Saga is overwhelmed during the feast and runs outside. There, she kisses Rurik. Yrsa catches them. Saga is punished after being caught with Rurik and is forced into a new engagement with Magnus.

Saga attempts to jump from the castle but is stopped when Silla reaches her through their bond.

The mysterious creature is revealed to be a giant snake, which Rey spends weeks hunting. Silla spends weeks being friended by ice spirits who eventually leads her to the lair of the snake. They realize it has many hatchlings.

On their way to Kopa, Silla and Rey are attacked by the serpent and Klaerna. Jonas reveals Signe has been turning Klarna into galdra and ordered Silla’s death. An avalanche buries Silla and Jonas after Silla uses her bladebreaker ability.

Signe drugs Saga to prime her during her engagement feast which triggers her cohesion rite. There, Saga finds Silla who is unconscious under the avalanche. Silla anchors Saga while she goes through her cohesion rite.

Realizing Silla and Saga is about to die, the god of chaos whom their mother had made a bargain with for their lives, reaches out. He offers Silla a chance to survive and Saga revenge, in exchange for access to their Galdra.

The sisters agree.

Silla allows Myrkur in and emerges possessed, killing the Klaerna before being subdued.

Saga also allows Myrkur in, killing Princess Yrsa and injuring King Ivar and Queen Signe.

Saga awakens on a boat. There she realizes Rurik has never abandoned her but rather was biding his time. He also kidnapped Magnus whom branded Saga all those years ago, triggering her initial agoraphobia.

Rurik reveals himself as the Beast Prince of Zagavra. Kassandr Rurik tells Saga they’re going to Zagadka. Even though Rurik says it’s for her protection, Saga is once again a prisoner.

Roots of Darkness

After Rey and Silla leave Istre, Hekla is left in charge of the Bloodaxe crew while a deadly mist spreads through the forest, killing all life and turning people and animals into draugr.

The night before the mission begins, Hekla sleeps with a stranger. The next morning, she learns the man is Eyvind Hakonsson. He was sent by Axe Eyes to help control the situation and manage the local chieftain, Loftur.

Hekla’s authority is repeatedly undermined by Eyvind’s men and Loftur, who struggle to take orders from a woman. During a sparring match with Eyvind’s second, Hekla is triggered by memories of abuse from her first marriage but ultimately defeats him.

Against orders, Hekla enters the forest after spotting the first living creature they’ve seen since arriving. She finds symbols drawn in blood using the Volsik sigil and experiences a vision of the forest dying as the mist forms. She is nearly killed but saved by a massive wolf.

Hekla later wakes to find a talking squirrel named Kridka, who calls her the Protector. She also sees a vision of Loftur summoning the mist, confirming her suspicions.

Guided by Kridka, Hekla enters a barn and discovers the missing villagers have been turned into draugr, including entire families. She realizes Loftur has been feeding them to the mist, hoping the old gods would restore them. One of the draugr speaks as the Avatar of the Mist and threatens to feast.

Hekla escapes, but her horse is overtaken by the mist and turned undead, forcing her to kill it. When she confronts Eyvind and his superiors, she learns they already knew about the barn and removes her from the mission.

With help from Sigrund and Gunner, Hekla decides to an evacuat Istre and a try to trap the mist with fire. Loftur’s ritual fails. Eyvind defies his father’s orders and helps evacuate the town.

Eyvind and his men reveal themselves as Galdra and use fire magic to hold back the mist. Hekla distracts it while the traps are detonated. Eyvind shields her during the explosion and survives.

Istre is destroyed, but the mist is contained. Gunner later proposes to Hekla and is refused. Hekla then learns Eyvind is engaged despite his feelings for her.

In the final chapter, Kridka returns and tells Hekla she must release his mistress, setting up the next conflict.

---

That’s everything you need to remember before Dawn of the North.

If you want to keep up with what we’re reading next, did you know we’re also on Instagram?

You can also sign up for our newsletter to get new reviews, reading guides, and fantasy deep dives straight to your inbox.