Blake Hausladen

The story of four people who are banished beyond the edge of the map, to a land of gnarled forests, ancient magic, and the site of a terrible murder....

As Leger, Barok, Geart, and Dia face an empire growing ever more aware of the nation they rebuild, all eyes and armies are drawn to the East and the rise of a new enemy. Left unguarded, the dim flecks of magic lingering in the swamps and dark places begin to spill free.

The laws that confine men have been swept aside, and the provinces have declared their independence. War had come to Zoviya, leaving those alone to fend for themselves. All the while, the Earth quakes, warning of magics long hidden in ancient places. Unhinged magics are taking hold of the innocent.

The dark forest hid them from their destroyers. The matriarch of the forest wept for a century over their murder. The priests rewrote the songs and rhymes until the world forgot them and the conquerors abandoned their watch.