The Gifts of Heaven
J.M. Elliott
Type: Beta project
Genre: Historical fiction
Word count: 105,000
Warnings: Graphic violence, swearing
Once an Amazon warrior, Anaiti is forced into marriage, forbidden to ride or fight—and then widowed on her wedding night. As a Greek-educated prince seizes the Scythian throne, Anaiti must navigate betrayal, exile, and forbidden rites to protect her people’s dying traditions. But to survive a world that sees her as a perversion, she must become something worse. Please note: this book is part of a series, and a series synopsis will be provided.
In a kingdom where strength is survival and women once rode beside men, Anaiti was born to fight. A hamazan warrior, she earned her place with blood and courage—until a royal marriage forced her into silence. When her husband is murdered before their union is sealed, Anaiti is cast adrift in a court where her weapons are taken, her voice dismissed, and her body becomes a pawn.
But the true threat isn’t silence—it’s Skyles, the Greek-educated prince who ascends the throne and seeks to stamp out the nomadic way of life, its seers, its sacred rites—and women like Anaiti. To him, she is a relic. A scandal. A perversion.
Caught between a fading way of life and the polished contempt of Hellenic civilization, Anaiti is thrust into a political maelstrom where tradition is spurned, freedom is dangerous, and vengeance may be her only path forward. Guided by a defiant seer and haunted by visions taken for divine truth, she must decide: will she be a slave, a survivor, or a sword?
The Gifts of Heaven, the second installment in the Steppe Saga trilogy, is set on the Pontic Steppe in the fifth century BCE and continues the story begun in Of Wind and Wolves.
J. M. Elliott lives on a Hudson Valley farm, far from the hustle of modern life. She prefers hiking boots to heels, work gloves to manicures, and humble stories to showy prose. When she’s not lost in the pages of historical fiction, you might spot her astride a horse, unearthing the mysteries of archaeological sites, or trekking into the wilds where phone signals can’t reach.
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