The Valley of Lutheridas

Exiled from the Valley of Lutheridas, the companions and their people endure a bitter winter while Archon Cael Ruvan's Meridian Dominion occupies their homeland. Temp and Tara struggle to lead the refugees while repairing their marriage; Acrius and Ilyra reunite under the weight of broken confidence; and Dristas searches desperately for Seryn, the druid lost during the evacuation. Their chance of returning emerges through Evara Solen, a compassionate but formidable wizard whose lantern magic can resist the Dominion's manipulation of roads and boundaries.
With Evara's guidance, the scattered exiles unite former enemies, sympathetic soldiers, and descendants of the nine communities dispossessed by the ancient First Survey. Evidence uncovered by Ilyra and Dominion scholar Caldra Sen exposes the regime's fraudulent claims, transforming the campaign into a struggle for justice as well as territory. Dristas rescues Seryn from a prison of living roots, and the two begin rebuilding trust through honesty rather than promises of perfect safety. Lutheridas and Vaelith face the harm attached to their pasts, while Temp and Tara learn to act as partners rather than guardians keeping secrets from one another.