He pointed to a cluster of islands scattered like gems across the western sea.
“This is us. The Veilguard Isles,” he said. “Shadowmere, Sorrowsea, and Velmere rule over this region.”
His finger lingered over the main three islands, then drifted eastward across the parchment—toward the continent.
“This is Varrowmere,” he continued, tapping a jagged expanse of land bordered by dense shading. “It’s hemmed in by Darkmoor Forest to the north, and the Widow’s Spine to the south.”
He traced the forest line, then the curve of the mountain range.
“Duskfall is here, just beyond the border—east of the forest and close to Iron Reach.”
He tapped the map again, voice lowering.
“This is where Vael is believed to be now—deep in Iron Reach, in talks with King Ivan.”
I sat back. “So what’s the plan?”
Phoenix pointed to a narrow strip of land connecting the mainland to the southern isles. It was thin—almost a bottleneck.
“If we can gather enough allies, we’ll have to hold here.”
His finger rested on a fortress icon, etched into the parchment like a scar.
“This is the Veilguard Garrison. It guards the only land bridge between the mainland and the rest of the Veilguard isles.”
“If it falls,” he said quietly, “they can march straight through Sorrowsea, Shadowmere… even Velmere.”
“And if it holds?” I asked.
“Then we might just stand a chance,” Phoenix said. “If soldiers can’t cross here, they’ll have to come by sea. But with Sorrowsea’s armada, and the wards hiding Shadowmere, they can’t cross easily.”
I gestured to a shadowed landmass near the edge of the map. It was massive, mountainous, barely marked.
“What about here? What’s this area?”
Phoenix leaned in. “Ah. Those are the Wilds.”
“The Wilds? There are no colonies?”
“If there are, they’re off the map,” he said. “The terrain’s brutal—rocky, snowbound. Mostly uncharted. That spike there?” He pointed. “That’s Mount Emberflame. Tallest mountain in the world. It’s said to burn at the summit, even in winter.”
I stared.
“No one rules it?”
Phoenix shook his head. “No onecan. The Wilds don’t answer to anyone. They barely answer to maps.”
He paused, then added, “There’s a legend… that the magic-born—people like us—originatedfrom there. From somewhere deep in the mountains, before kingdoms, before records. A time when magic was still wild.”
I looked back at the map. The land was shadowed, vast. Empty.
But something about it made my skin prickle. “Have you ever been there?”
“No. Not personally, but…”
Phoenix hesitated, his fingers brushing the edge of the map.
“Thorne came from there. Near the coast—on the edge of the Wilds.”
