The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)

by Samantha Shannon

‘I know as much as you, my lord. I fled Yscalin, along with some others, the day the House of Vetalda announced its allegiance to the Nameless One.’ Kit spoke again: ‘Did many of those who fled become pirates?’ ‘Privateers, if you please.’ Melaugo nodded to the ensign. ‘And no. Most exiles went to Mentendon or the Ersyr to start again, as best they could. But not everyone got out.’ ‘Is it possible that the people of Yscalin do not all bow to the Nameless One, then?’ Loth asked her. ‘That they are only afraid of their king, or trapped in the country?’ ‘Likely. Nobody goes out now, and very few go in. Cárscaro still accepts foreign ambassadors, as evidenced by your good selves, but the rest of the country could be dead from plague, for all I know.’ A curl blew across her eyes. ‘If you ever get out, you must tell me what Cárscaro is like now. I hear there was a great fire just before the birds flew out. Lavender fields used to grow near the capital, but they burned.’

Worldbuilding