The Seven Beliefs

For two centuries, the seven royal families have preserved the peace of the known world beneath the watch of the ancient monoliths. From the frozen north of the Fell to the fertile southern kingdoms, the alliance of the seven houses has endured long enough for men to mistake it for permanence. Yet not all stones are regarded equally, and beneath the harmony of ceremonies, feasts, and inherited traditions, an unspoken hierarchy continues to shape the lives of those born beneath them. At the Gathering of Houses in the High Seat of the New Kingdom, a new generation comes together once more. Ersa of House Urya arrives from the northern cold carrying the quiet weight of a lesser name. Liyana Jenna moves at the center of a world already decided for her. Kanan Eyna stands close enough to power to believe he understands it. And far beyond the kingdoms, across the Deep Sea, the Realm of Fire remains watching. When a message reaches the Gathering from the east, the peace that shaped the world begins to feel less certain than the stories surrounding it. For the monoliths still stand. But something older than war has begun to move between them.