Moonshine

Elizabeth Merkova is a young Victorian woman whose quiet resilience masks a fierce will to protect what is hers. Living on the edge of the English countryside, Elizabeth’s life is upended when her infant child vanishes and is replaced by a changeling—an event that draws her beyond the fragile veil separating the human world from Elphame, the perilous realm of the fae. Branded unstable by society and abandoned by those who should believe her, Elizabeth refuses to surrender to grief or doubt. Armed with determination rather than power, she confronts ancient faery laws, rival queens, and bargains steeped in blood and moonlight. Her journey is one of defiance and transformation, as she challenges both mortal expectations and immortal cruelty to reclaim her child—and herself.

Nikolai Merkova is Elizabeth Merkova’s husband, a man shaped by duty, restraint, and the rigid expectations of Victorian society. Practical and measured, Nikolai values order, reputation, and rational explanations—traits that once made him a steady presence in Elizabeth’s life. When the unthinkable occurs and their child is taken, his inability to accept a world beyond logic drives a painful divide between them. Torn between love for his wife and fear of what belief might cost him, Nikolai represents the mortal refusal to see what cannot be neatly explained. His story is one of conflict and consequence, as denial proves just as dangerous as belief in a world where the fae do not care whether mortals are ready to understand them.

Helen Barker is a woman shaped by propriety, survival, and the unspoken rules of Victorian society. Practical and observant, Helen understands the cost of standing apart far better than most and has learned to measure her words carefully in a world quick to judge women who stray from expectation. Though she moves firmly within the mortal realm, her proximity to Elizabeth Merkova places her at the edge of truths she would rather not confront. Loyal in her own quiet way, Helen represents the fragile safety of normalcy—and the fear that acknowledging the impossible may unravel everything she has worked to preserve.

Queen Oonagh is one of the two ruling queens of Elphame, an ancient faery sovereign bound as much by law as by power. Cold, precise, and endlessly patient, Oonagh governs through balance and consequence rather than cruelty, believing order to be the highest virtue of the fae. She honors bargains without mercy and punishes transgression without hesitation, viewing sentiment as a weakness mortals cannot afford in her realm. Though less openly vicious than her rival, Queen Maeve, Oonagh is no kinder—her danger lies in her certainty that suffering is often necessary to preserve the long game of faery rule. To cross her is to invite judgment measured not in days or years, but in lifetimes.

Queen Maeve is the darker of Elphame’s twin sovereigns, a faery queen who rules through appetite, instinct, and beautifully calculated cruelty. Where others obey law, Maeve obeys desire—delight, vengeance, curiosity—and her court reflects her volatile nature. She is seductive, dangerous, and endlessly amused by mortal suffering, viewing humans not as equals but as instruments, toys, or currency in her endless games of power. Maeve delights in bargains that twist hope into ruin, and her favors are never freely given nor cheaply repaid. To attract her attention is both a gift and a curse, for Queen Maeve does nothing without ensuring the cost lingers long after the bargain is struck.

Rhys Bryhana is a fae of ancient lineage whose charm conceals a dangerous depth of loyalty and intent. Bound to Elphame and its unforgiving laws, Rhys moves with ease between courtesy and threat, understanding that survival in the faery realm depends on knowing when to yield—and when not to. He is perceptive, controlled, and far more compassionate than his station encourages, yet he never forgets the cost of defiance. Drawn into Elizabeth Merkova’s plight, Rhys becomes both guide and complication, caught between the pull of conscience and the ruthless politics of the fae courts. His presence is a reminder that even among immortals, allegiance is never simple and mercy is rarely without consequence.

Titwell is a sharp-tongued fae functionary who survives Elphame not through strength, but through speed, wit, and an intimate knowledge of who must never be offended. Small, quick, and perpetually wary, Titwell serves as a messenger and intermediary within the fae courts, carrying commands, secrets, and warnings that can cost lives if mishandled. He understands faery law far better than he likes to admit and knows precisely how little protection it offers those at the bottom. Though often irritable and self-serving, Titwell possesses a keen instinct for danger—and just enough courage to do his duty when escape is no longer an option.