The Glass Marches — Book I: The Burden-Bearer

About the book

**What if maps stopped telling the truth?** In the bustling trading city of Haut-Fer, nineteen-year-old Calen earns his living carrying other people's goods. He knows the warehouses, the foremen's orders, and the stories brought back by travellers. But he dreams of discovering the world beyond the familiar roads. When a convoy returns from the western Glass Marches with several men missing and a mysterious shipment placed under guard, rumours spread and the authorities begin searching for answers. Calen soon finds himself accompanying a royal reconnaissance expedition into territories where the familiar rules no longer seem to apply. **The maps no longer match the land. Distances become uncertain. A mountain stands where none should exist.** And with every discovery, the mysteries deepen. For Calen, the journey is everything he once dreamed of—and far more than he is prepared to face. Curious, ambitious, and eager to prove himself, he is no chosen hero. His mistakes carry consequences, his companions have ambitions of their own, and understanding the dangers ahead may prove easier than understanding the people beside him. As unsettling phenomena challenge everything the expedition believes it knows, Calen must confront his fears, his shortcomings, and a world far stranger than he ever imagined. **The Burden-Bearer** opens **The Glass Marches**, an adult fantasy series blending immersive worldbuilding, exploration, adventure, and slow-building mystery. For readers who love richly imagined worlds, imperfect protagonists, mysterious places, and adventures where the unknown remains genuinely unpredictable.