From the deck, Emery watched the island rise above the horizon, its immense silhouette gradually revealing itself against the blue sky. Calling it an island hardly seemed adequate. It looked more like a fortress that had grown its own shoreline, a vast military stronghold carved into the land itself.
He released his divine sense.
It swept across the approaching territory, passing the first hundred miles, then several hundred more. Even when it reached the thousand-mile mark. His expression grew increasingly solemn as the sheer scale of the defenses came into view.
Citadels crowned the highest ridges, their fortified walls following the natural contours of the mountains. Dozens of ground and floating outposts lined the coast. Along the towering cliffs, hundreds of watchtowers stood in orderly rows, their polished surfaces catching the sunlight like scattered stars.
Then Emery began to understand the geography that had made this place so important.
