The walk back to his seat felt like a death march. He thought of a prisoner taking his last steps toward his execution. Coralis was awake. Henry sat silently and stared at the water mark on his pants as Brianna curled back into her makeshift nest and instantly fell asleep.

“What did you see?” Coralis’s voice was grave.

Hope and relief flooded Henry’s emotions. “How did you know I saw something?”

“I didn’t,” he said, “until now.” He shifted toward Henry, his face a mask of compassion and understanding.

“I dropped the wand. I dropped it, and I tried to clean it, but then I saw … it was my father.” The words stuck in his throat and the tears finally came. “It was my father … and he was terrifying!”

Coralis reached over and pulled Henry close. Henry let himself go, the bottled emotions of fear and uncertainty pouring out.

“When you are ready, you must tell me everything. But quietly. There is no need to wake your sister—no need to frighten her.” Coralis stared out the window into the gloomy, overcast skies, knowing how difficult the road ahead was going to be. And regretting the loss of innocence of a young boy who was in over his head.

In the annals of Wandmaker history, the creation of the Corsini Mappaemundi stands out as one of the greatest man-made achievements. Now several thousand years old, its parchment remains as fresh and pliable as the day it was born.

Born?

Yes, it is a living thing—an organism that changes over time, a reflection of the Earth’s surface. But the genius of Epifanio Corsini also foresaw the need to transport the map in a convenient (and undetectable) way. Which leads us to its most remarkable feature.

In order to carry the map from one place to another, the owner could wear it.

If one places the parchment against the skin and seals the edges with the Corsini Wand, the map becomes a part of the carrier, where it then lies temporarily dormant until removed. If someone had the gross responsibility of removing Dai She’s shirt, he or she would be greeted with what appeared to be a large tattoo.

But there is a catch—there is always a catch … a price to pay.

The map cannot lie dormant for long. Given the way the Earth’s surface is constantly changing, the map is most healthy when it can change simultaneously. As a dormant object, the changes in the map are stored. If the changes, such as large tectonic plate shifts, occur while the map is being worn, it will begin to itch. But as anyone who has ever worn the map could tell you, don’t try to scratch!

Even in a dormant state, it is protected by the spells woven into it. The slightest of scratches will leave behind lifelong welts—like cuts from a whip that have healed.