Announcing the Official Maps of Legacy of Light . . . Plus an Excerpt!
Okay, so I teased these on Twitter a few weeks ago and revealed portions to a few people via email, but I’ve finished them.
They’re done.
The maps for Legacy of Light are done!
And I hope you know what that means. Pre-Orders for Legacy of Light are right around the corner. If you don’t know, Legacy of Light expands on the world first introduced in my short story Legion of Mono (available for free on Amazon). Many readers of the story asked for more, and here it is! In fact, Legion of Mono serves as the centerpiece of Legacy of Light, buttressed by two stories that significantly expand the narrative (Legion of Mono is about 25% of the whole book).
Enough about the story, you’re here for maps! Though I’ve included a teaser of the first few pages of Legacy of Light below!!!!
The entire world of Legacy of Light, featuring the lands of the Holy Empire and the People of Light!
A zoomed-in map showing the Caris Valley, where Legion of Mono occurs.
The Gates of Vicor, the site of the final battle before the events of Legion of Mono.
Now read an excerpt from Hammer of Maripes, the first part of Legacy of Light!
“All rise for her Majesty, Empress Emelia II, Her Excellency of the Ten Kingdoms, Matron of the Holy Empire, Anchor of the . . .”
The Voice drones on, listing the many titles of the woman seated in the ornate throne. As I look up the dozens of marbled stairs toward the Empress, her piercing eyes meet mine. I refuse to look away until the Voice says, “Maripes, Envoy of Lethotar, kneel before the Empress.”
I obey without question—my task is not one of political or religious opposition. My shins hit the stone, and I stare at the steps at eye level. Just a few seconds pass before a woman’s voice speaks with rough edges and harsh tones. The Empress. And her Voice says, “Envoy of Lethotar, you may speak.”
I raise my gaze to look upon her once again. “Your Majesty, Matron of the Holy Empire, Empress Emelia II”—three titles, as instructed—“I am Maripes, Son of Peras and Amar.” Two signifiers, both informal. After my first sentence, the Voice begins translating. “I come on behalf of the people of Lethotar and the Clans of the Three Valleys. I come offering you my talents—in exchange for free trade between our peoples.”
As my lips emit the word trade, the Empress’s eyes widen. So she understands . . . does her court know? “I supplicate myself before your throne, your Excellency, and humbly request you consider my proposal.”
She shifts toward her Voice, standing a few steps down from the throne. She speaks again, and he delivers her response. “Maripes, we shall consider your words. What talents do you offer?”
I hold back the grin aching to stretch from ear to ear. A few of my counterparts back home didn’t expect I would even make it this far. “Your Majesty, while as the great Empress of your people, everything within your domain is yours by right, I have knowledge, and in the words of your Holy Scriptures, ‘knowledge is the foundation of all power.’ ” My hand trembles, and I form a fist to stop the shaking. “Therefore, I offer you the gift of sunsteel and the power of moonstone. “ There it is again. The flicker in her eyes. “I will teach your people the secret of our people, in exchange for passage along the High Roads.”
Murmurs rumble throughout the hall. The Court of the Holy Empire certainly hadn’t expected those words to leave my lips. Sunsteel. Moonstone. Every relic of their people, formed from metals they couldn’t smelt . . . and I offered the knowledge to reforge their history—if they pay a small price.
“Why would you offer such a gift?” says the Empress through her Voice. Her eyes narrow, their green tinge peaking beneath her long, dark eyelashes. Her powder-white skin contrasts with the dark, woven up-do forming her headdress. “Why give us such knowledge?”
“Because, your Excellency, we are the People of Light. We give to you that which we can give, so that you may see our way of peace.”
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