Every hero’s journey needs a guide—but guides are rarely gentle, and they are never without scars. In The Last Patriot, that guide comes in the form of Maera, a leader of the Wardens of the Veil.
Maera is not a soldier in the way Elias Mercer is. She doesn’t carry herself with the rigid discipline of the battlefield, nor does she put her faith in musket and blade. Her weapon is knowledge—hard-earned, ancient, and deeply rooted in the old magic that existed long before the colonies. When Elias stumbles into a world he doesn’t understand, it is Maera who steadies his steps, even when her words cut sharper than steel.
Backstory & The Wardens of the Veil
The Wardens of the Veil are a secretive order, older than nations, whose sole purpose is to guard the boundary between this world and the Hollowing. They are the unseen sentinels, keeping watch where the Veil thins, making sure ancient hungers never spill into the lives of men. Their numbers are few, their lives short, but their mission is eternal.
Maera rose among them not because she sought power, but because she endured loss. Her family line had long been tied to the Veil, and she was marked by tragedy early—something that made her both hardened and wise. She carries with her the weight of dozens of lost comrades, each one sacrificed to keep the Hollowing at bay. Where Elias questions destiny, Maera accepts it. Where Elias wrestles with doubt, Maera steels herself with purpose.
The Hidden Side of Maera
Readers may not realize at first that Maera herself has faced the Eye. Not as a bearer, but as one who stood in its presence and refused it. This gives her both authority and a deep sense of sorrow—she knows what Elias carries, and she knows what it will take from him if he lets it. Her mentorship is never gentle because she believes there is no time for gentleness.
What We Can Learn from Maera
Maera embodies the truth that wisdom often comes with pain. She reminds us that leadership is not about comfort, but about responsibility. We all encounter people like Maera in our lives—stern voices who push us further than we think we can go. It is easy to resist them, to see only their severity. But often, those are the people who see what we can become when we no longer believe in ourselves.
Through Maera, we are reminded that guidance is not always soft, and truth is not always kind. But sometimes, it’s the hard words and sharp lessons that keep us from falling into the dark.
✨ Stay tuned for the next character spotlight in this series, where we’ll step into the fog and meet the Faceless Man—an inhuman presence that tempts, whispers, and haunts Elias Mercer at every turn.