Dear readers, tonight with us is a woman trying to find a way to bring her brother back from the dead. Though educated in magic, it is still an uncharted territory. She is here to talk about haunted places and the undead, as well as family ties.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Jrendavar is great — a little grey, so I’m told, but you get used to that after a while. A peaceful country for the most part, at least in the West where I’m from. The nearest city is Helslidir, though these days, our vineyard might be better known. Snow’s Grove Vineyard. My grandparents were the first to discover magic to grow grapes where grapes really didn’t want to be grown. 

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

If I’m honest, it’s hard to remember too far back. There was a time where my siblings and I would bind hay into little stick-figure people. None of them lasted long enough to become favorites. We spent a lot of time with our imaginations, my brother, sister, and I. They were both talented with perception magic early on — illusions and hallucinations and whatnot. So maybe “imagination” isn’t quite the right word.

What do you do now?

Oh, well… Well, I’m a bookkeeper, actually. Or I was. Once I get back home, I will be again, probably. Numbers just work in my head. I keep up with figures for most of the businesses that work with the vineyard. I am nervous to find out who’s been tracking everything in my absence. Surely someone has…

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

Sure, yes… What is there to say about Kepstadur? It was pretty cold for the summer months, even here. Beautiful, but cold. And definitely haunted. There were times I couldn’t hear my own thoughts, the voices were so loud. It was hard to know the real from the fake — and losing that certainty in yourself is pretty jarring. I knew the magic there would be strong, but the revenants… that first attack still rattled me. 

Revenants? Attack? Care to speak more on that? What were you thinking during the first encounter?

… Looking back, it was hard to think. When the first one shambled up from the water… I still don’t know how we made it through. Niccolo did a lot of heavy lifting, honestly. His scythe… His training… all very impressive.

The crazy part: I remember being just a little excited. This was my first exposure to anything that could be considered a “true resurrection.” I thought I was prepared for it, especially after all the other ways I’ve interacted with death. But my brain just started looping a single thought: If this doesn’t kill me, it will revive Ulrik. And if I could take down an undead army, it’d be for him.

An army of the undead… That sounds horrifying!

I wouldn’t even consider that the worst part, honestly.

Oh? What was the worst thing about exploring Kepstadur Keep? 

Trust. In the keep, I didn’t trust my allies, I didn’t trust our hiding places, I didn’t trust our resources… Gods, I barely trusted my own faculties. It was horrific, constantly second-guessing yourself. Never sure if you’re thinking ahead or playing into someone else’s hand.

Was there anything good about your time there?

This may be a strange takeaway, but the keep was beautiful. Even with the grime of abandonment, the Kepstans had clearly lived in grandeur. And their collections of books and trinkets… Everything was so interesting. I regret not taking more when I had the chance — the extra weight felt like a hindrance at the time. Luckily, Niccolo snagged some really amazing things. He’s just so full of surprises. And pockets. Damn it, the Attiettans like their pockets.

I suppose, if we’re discussing positives, I grew fond of him as well.

You’ve mentioned this ‘Niccolo’ a few times now. Could you tell us a little about him?

He and I met just before I found Kepstadur. Turns out, he’d come farther than I had in search of the keep’s secrets — another country, actually, and not a terribly close one. Our official meeting was… maybe more painful than necessary, but even early on, it felt good to be traveling with someone again. 

My sister, Thonra, and I had started this journey together but split off because she wanted to cover more ground. Niccolo is a lot friendlier than Thonra — seems like he couldn’t be mean if you paid him. 

Nice, but secretive. These days, I can see that he hid a lot behind an “ignorant foreigner” facade. It was a good way to avoid my tough questions. I’m embarrassed to say I believed the act for a while. So focused on his physical assets, I ignored a lot of little signs. 

Physical assets, I see! Sounds like cozy company to have. 

Wait, what? No. No, that’s not what I meant! He’s strong. Like, physically. It saved magical resources for… We didn’t… I’m not… Not that he isn’t… Gods incarnate.

Think what you will, but Niccolo and I were perfect professionals in the keep. We were focused on finding what we needed and getting out before something else jumped out to kill us, thank you very much.

Okay, okay, let’s go back to a lighter topic. Do you have a favorite pastime? One that doesn’t involve balancing books or researching relics? 

To be fair, I find magical research to be very interesting, but I’ll play along. Back before all this, I used to help one of our neighbors tend their horses. In exchange, I could go riding basically whenever I’d like. It wasn’t something I did often, but some days, I’d ride for hours. Just pack a lunch, pick a direction, and see what was out there. 

After the keep, we had hoped to buy a horse with some of our… recently obtained funds. We needed something to help with the journey, but the few horses left weren’t for sale. Anyway, we developed a soft spot for this runt of a donkey… He’s been doing really well so far. I’d love to have my own horse one day, but Chamberlain is pretty close.

So, with your new not-horse in tow, what does the future hold for you?

Well, the easy part is getting home to the vineyard. Beyond that, I spend a lot of nights thinking about Niccolo’s family. Testing to see if they’re in danger, planning how best to smuggle them away from Attietto… if they want to — which is complicated. Anyway, I think we’re bright enough to figure out a clever solution. Maybe it’s a silly — or worse, presumptuous — thing to say, but bringing them here would feel like another step toward the family being whole again. 

Can you share a secret with us, which you’ve never told anyone else?

… I’ve got a secret. It’s bittersweet and takes a little explaining first. My brother, he was the reason we went through all of this. If you know my story from Kepstadur Keep, you probably knew that already. When he died three years ago, I could barely look at his son without breaking down. I don’t want to admit it, but it’s one reason we left… why I left. I didn’t want to see my nephew until I could smile with him again. And I didn’t think I’d be able to feel that joy as long as Ulrik was gone.

That’s not the secret… the secret — and I don’t know how to tell Thonra — there was a letter waiting for us at our last known location. Several letters, actually. The family didn’t know where we would be, but they knew where we had been, so they sent three letters that not even Thonra has seen. 

We have a new niece, Thonra and I. Ulrik’s wife, Tuyet, had been pregnant when we left the vineyard. It had been so early; we hadn’t suspected…

The letters tell a different side of Ulrik’s passing. He didn’t just get sick. He didn’t die of bad luck. Shortly after he found out Tuyet was pregnant, Ulrik noticed her energy and the baby both growing weaker. They were struggling, and once he saw it with his magic, he couldn’t look away.

It was the damn cat all over again, except this time, he gave too much. He siphoned away bits of himself so his wife and daughter would live.

Her name is Dagny, my niece. She’ll be three soon. The letters say she’s healthy and happy… and she looks just like her father.

I guess in the end, this isn’t even my secret. It’s Ulrik’s. His daughter lives because of his magic.

And I… I just can’t wait to meet her. To see Vann again. The whole family… It’ll be good to be home.

R.G. Sartain is a fantasy author with a love for deeply flawed characters, hard magic systems, and dry humor. Her debut novel, Kepstadur Keep, is a spooky adventure fantasy, published in October of 2025. When not writing, Sartain enjoys reading, gaming, drawing, dungeoning dragons, and stressing about writing.

You can find Sonja Vinzler on the pages of Kepstadur Keep.

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