Ares Of The North Novels & Stories

Ethan said. He reached into his vest and pulled out a rolled-up map. He threw it onto the deck between them. "The Northern Territory," Ethan said. Silence slammed into the group. Even the restless rogues behind the Warlords went still. The Northern Territory was vast—millions of acres of forest, mountains, and coastline stretching from the Canadian border down to the edge of Seattle. It was wild, resource-rich, and heavily guarded by Council treaties. "You lie," Silas hissed. "The Council holds the North. The barrier spells alone are impenetrable."

"And anything Elena's people left there. Anything that looks placed." Sable was already calculating. "Two days there. Two back." "Four days total. Go now, before the temperature drops further." Aria looked at the northern sky. Dark on the horizon. Not clouds. Something else. "And Sable." "Yes." "Don't stop at night." She kept looking north. At the dark that was sitting wrong on the horizon. "Don't stop for any reason." Sable looked north too. Understood. Left. Aria stood watching the horizon for another minute. Watching the dark that wasn't clouds sit still and patient over the northern forest four days away.

Three months after my formal transition, I stood at the edge of territories I had never visited despite coordinating confederation operations across vast distances. The Northern Wilderness stretched before me ancient forests and mountain ranges that had remained isolated from supernatural politics throughout the confederation's development. "You're certain about this journey?" Darius asked as we made final preparations for extended travel beyond confederation territories. "The northern regions are largely unmapped, and your reduced network connections mean significantly less backup if we encounter difficulties."

And something answered. Runes bloomed like embers beneath the parchment, lines threading outward in slow, deliberate arcs. Not drawn so much as remembered into place. Jade had gone still, breath caught halfway to a curse, as the marks continued to reveal themselves—winding paths through unmarked territory near the northern forest line. When Autumn saw it, recognition hit her like a bruise pressed too hard. That region wasn’t on any current chart. No patrols. No trade routes. No ward stones. No one went there anymore.

Sanctuary of Shadows Dawn broke pale and cold over the mountains as Aria and Kael rode east, leaving the stone walls of the Northern Keep behind. The path they followed was an ancient one little more than a narrow, winding trail through dense forest and jagged cliffs. Few wolves ventured this far. Fewer still returned. The wind carried whispers of danger, of old magic, of forgotten wars. And beneath it all, something darker stirred in the distance… something that had been waiting.

Arlo was the one who gave their decision. With a nod, North returned to the patio and threw open the doors. She stepped out and stared at the vast expanse of ice, her gaze focusing on the distant volcanoes of Celestina, that provided such a clear visual clue of the point of demarcation. She lifted her arms, holding them wide apart.

I pound down the grounds, headed North, into the pack's core and past. Alarm screens a defensive plaque onto Eldrick's voice as the ground shakes under my purpose. "You think it might be deliberate, don't you? I thought it was a bit weird, y'know? None of the invaders came from the North. It's especially suspicious since that is where our defences usually are weakest due to the vastness and topography of the land. Combat is not favoured as it is difficult to push upward of the pack."

Far from the sight of battle was a small village. This village was located in the north, and belonged to the Northern Empire. It was a village whose borders marked the borders of the Northern Empire and was popularly known as the ‘Edge of the World’ since there was no other human settlement after it. It was a peaceful village that hadn’t seen war in the longest time.

Kael counted them twice. The first section was coordinates—six sets, in the northern territorial notation the novel used for its maps. He recognized two of them from the appendices. One was near the Ashfen border region. One was further north, closer to the old Dreadmourne mining claims. The other four he couldn't place without a map, and the estate's maps had gone with the strongbox.

he asked, his voice low. I shook my head. "No, there’s another team heading north of the forest." Kim's face darkened with concern. "They won’t survive it. The North is ruled by a warlord named Arit. She’s married to my father. Arit is a killer, ruthless and unforgiving. No one who enters her territory leaves alive." A shiver ran down my spine at his words. "Arit... married to your father?" I echoed, feeling the weight of his revelation.