Into the Mire by Casey Lucas aka Canticle

In the first years following a brutal war, residents of the Deel Valley struggle to recover. They rebuild their homes, replant their crops, and attempt to reconcile the past they long for with the reality they’re stuck in.

Most of them seek, above all, a return to some semblance of “normal.”

Others seek profit and adventure.

Mercenary boss Riss Chou finds herself in prime position for both, summoned by the local Baron to work a job so dangerous his own men–including his heir–vanished at the scene.

The marsh is dark and poorly mapped. The terrain swallows horses, so the journey must be made on foot. Deep in the muck, Riss and her company must brave a place where the rules of nature no longer apply.