Black Lands
The Realm of Feather and Flight
Every realm has its own language.
The Black Lands speak in birdsong.
Far beyond the fertile valleys of the Red Realm rise the snow-dusted cliffs and high mountains of the Black Lands, a kingdom ruled by the enigmatic Black Queen. At first glance, the land appears austere—a landscape of dark stone, black lichens, windswept precipices, alpine lakes, and forests of leafless trees. Yet beneath this sombre exterior lies a realm overflowing with life.
For the Black Lands belong to the birds.
Great raptors circle the mountain thermals.
Tiny owls watch from ancient beams.
Brilliant hummingbirds dart among exotic flowers.
Quail, rockhoppers, vultures, ravens, and countless other winged creatures fill the skies, forests, lakes, and cliffs of the kingdom. Everywhere Emmy travels, something is flying, calling, nesting, courting, or singing.
If Butterfly Vale celebrates insects, the Blue Realm belongs to creatures of the sea, and the Red Realm thrives with remarkable mammals, then the Black Lands are unquestionably the domain of feather and flight.
For Emily Haversham, the Black Lands are both beautiful and unsettling. Her first glimpse comes from the deck of Rolig's magnificent dirigible as she crosses mountain ranges and watches lightning vultures perform their astonishing aerial courtship dances against distant storms. The journey leads her to the Black Keep, perched upon towering cliffs above the clouds like a great bird preparing to launch itself into the sky.
Yet the Black Lands are not the bleak wilderness they initially appear to be.
Within the Black Queen's conservatory, delicate hummingbirds flit among jewel-bright blossoms. Hidden lakes teem with birdlife. Ravens accompany the queen on her walks through the forests. Even the starkest landscapes reveal unexpected beauty to those willing to look closely.
The Black Lands explore observation, patience, and the wonder of creatures born to the air. They celebrate migration, song, nesting places, mountain winds, and the freedom of flight. Here Emmy fills page after page with hurried sketches of wings, feathers, beaks, and impossible behaviours, struggling to record everything before the next marvel appears.
Snow drifts across dark stone.
Ravens wheel against a pale sky.
A distant cry echoes from the cliffs.
And somewhere overhead, another extraordinary bird is taking flight.
The Black Lands is a collection for explorers, birdwatchers, and dreamers. It celebrates the beauty of avian life and the quiet majesty of a kingdom where the skies are every bit as important as the earth below.
Because some creatures walk the world.
And some were born to rise above it.
The Black Queen's realm, mountain aerie kingdoms, remarkable birds, high forests, alpine lakes, and the endless wonders of feather and flight.
"To understand a bird, one must first learn to look upward."
