Bela is shipmistress of the Sandcrow, leading her ship and crew on a mission to find possible power to save their people from conquering, destroying foreign forces. That mission has taken them to the far north, and Sandcrow is now trapped in ice.
That's bad enough. But then a bear attacks and kills some of the crew, and then the ice moves and crushes the hull of the ship.
They're down to seven survivors, one of whom is a man, the Reader, their scholar who knows the most about where they were headed and what they're seeking. Because this is audio only, I'm not sure of all the names, especially the spellings, but the Reader's name is something like Tuorog, sometimes called Tu.
As the seven survivors set out to complete their mission on foot, there's conflict among the women. They're seeking a city, described in one of Tu's books, where there is said to be a power that will enable them to defeat their enemies and save their people. First they have to survive the trip there, though, with their only shelter on the ice the ship's boat that they're dragging with them, and only a week or two of food salvaged from their ship before it was altogether lost.
In a novella that might be part of a larger work, we need to pick up the clues quickly about their world and their culture, but the clues are there, and I did find the characters deftly if sparsely drawn. And I really liked Bela and Tu.
Recommended.
I received this audiobook as one of Audible's free offerings, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
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