Through the Long Winter

Ridgeway Yard has less than two weeks of food. Winter will last a lot longer. Owen Hale helped turn a damaged yard into a refuge. Now the cold is exposing every job they put off: a rotting gatepost, a failing water line, a stove that people depend on to survive the night. His Fieldwright skills can hold a structure steady and restore broken equipment. Every use draws on limited Charge. Every lasting repair still needs materials, time, and people able to do the work. To keep Ridgeway supplied, Owen and his crew must travel icy roads, recover food from unstable buildings, and repair a broken bridge that could connect them to a working market. Beyond the yard, hungry creatures follow the roads—and an injury can turn a supply run into a struggle to get home. At Crossing, Owen finds traders willing to exchange food for his skills. The terms are fair. The meals are real. For the first time, he can see a way to keep the stores stocked. But every job he accepts takes time away from Ridgeway's own failing equipment. With winter closing in, Owen must decide how much work they can afford to promise—and give the people keeping his home alive a say in that decision. - Skills with hard limits, limited Charge, and no free recharge from leveling up - Food rationing, fuel budgets, and ammunition counts that matter - Base-building through repairs that keep a community alive - Capable companions with skills and decisions of their own - No harem, with lasting consequences carried over from book one The second Fieldwright novel.