The provided excerpts introduce a world where ancient magic, called Sources, is protected by a secret society known as the Blades of the Rose, against groups like the Heirs of Albion, who seek to control these powers for nationalistic gain. The narrative primarily follows Captain Gabriel Huntley, a former English soldier unexpectedly drawn into this hidden conflict when he inherits a mission to deliver a mysterious compass to Franklin Burgess in Mongolia. There, he encounters Burgess's daughter, Thalia, a formidable and independent woman who is herself a Blade. Their journey to protect a powerful ruby, which is a Source, from the Heirs leads them through perilous landscapes, magical phenomena, and intense personal challenges, forging an undeniable bond between them as they navigate a world far more complex than either anticipated. Other snippets hint at the involvement of London Harcourt and Bennett Day, implying a wider network of Blades and their adversaries across the globe, with London possessing a uniquBramfield (another Blade) encountering Nathan Lesperance, an unknowingly magical being, in the Canadian wilderness, along with Gemma Murphy, a journalist who becomes entangled with Catullus Graves, a brilliant inventor and fellow Blade.