The Lies We Bleed

Four years ago, Vaelstorm Academy branded her a murderer.
Framed for the brutal killing of a senior professor, Velamira was stripped of her honor and cast into the shadows. But while the empire assumed she would wither away in shame, she was quietly building an empire of her own, honing a forbidden, despised magic into a vast, unseen web of secrets and influence that spans the entire realm.
Now, as war rages on the borders, blood runs cold in the academy halls. Swallowed by rampant corruption, political intrigue, and rising crime, the Emperor forms a shadowy task force completely independent of the corrupt noble houses. His chosen anchor? Velamira. Recalled by Imperial decree, she returns not as an outcast, but as a professor placed above the law.
Surrounding her are ancient gothic spires, vile rumors staining her character, and a faculty that loathes the ground she walks on. Yet beneath her dangerous new authority lies a darker game: a lethal dance with those who framed her, and an irresistible, treacherous pull toward the very enemies who want her destroyed.
They believe they summoned a loyal pawn to save a dying empire.
They forgot that spiders never stop spinning.