Prologue: Plague and Prophecy

In 1632, Friar Vincente Salavert, driven by dreams of sainthood, ventures into the jungles of New Spain seeking a legendary city of gold. Instead, he brings smallpox, which devastates the hidden civilization he finds. Captured by the city's priestess, Salavert is forced into a ritual involving a black stone mirror, experiencing visions of power, conquest, and the cost of blood. The priestess, scarred and desperate, chooses to end the cycle of violence, sacrificing herself and entrusting Salavert with a medallion. The city's fate is sealed by disease and despair, and the mirror's power is left buried with its secrets.

Riot at Westminster

In 1898 London, Eleanora "Ellie" Mallory, a fiercely intelligent and ambitious archivist, joins a suffragist protest at Parliament. When taunted by MPs, Ellie's outrage sparks a riot, leading to her arrest. This act of rebellion costs her the job she fought so hard to earn at the Public Record Office, highlighting the systemic barriers women face. Ellie's frustration with societal expectations and her longing for a life of discovery and scholarship are palpable, setting her on a collision course with destiny.

The Map and the Medallion

While clearing out her desk after being fired, Ellie discovers a centuries-old Spanish psalter with its pages hollowed out. Inside, she finds a mysterious map in Latin and a black stone medallion carved with Mesoamerican glyphs. The map hints at the location of the legendary "White City," a lost civilization in Central America. Ellie's scholarly instincts ignite—she recognizes the potential for a groundbreaking archaeological discovery, but also the likelihood of a hoax. Her excitement is tempered by the realization that, as a woman, she will be excluded from any official expedition.

Pursued Through London

As Ellie debates whether to turn the artifacts over to the Royal Geographical Society, she overhears her supervisor, Mr. Henbury, trying to sell the find to a criminal named Jacobs. When Henbury betrays her, Ellie is forced to flee through the streets of Canonbury, pursued by Jacobs. With the help of her adventurous friend Constance, Ellie orchestrates a daring escape, boarding a steamer bound for British Honduras under an assumed name. The map and medallion are her only tickets to a future she refuses to let slip away.

Escape to British Honduras

After a tense Atlantic crossing, Ellie arrives in Belize Town, British Honduras. She checks into the modest Rio Nuevo Hotel, determined to find a guide to take her into the jungle. The colonial world is both vibrant and perilous, and Ellie's status as a lone woman draws suspicion and condescension. She quickly learns that the only trustworthy guides—local men with deep knowledge of the land—refuse to take a woman into the Cayo District, the wild, unmapped heart of the colony.

The Reluctant Guide

Ellie's only hope is Adam Bates, the American assistant surveyor general, infamous for his rough manners, sharp wit, and deep knowledge of the bush. Their first meeting is a disaster—he bursts into her bath to save her from a (harmless) snake, and their mutual irritation is immediate. Yet Adam is the only one who can get her where she needs to go. After a series of misadventures and failed negotiations with other guides, Adam reluctantly agrees to help Ellie, drawn by her intelligence, stubbornness, and the intrigue of her map.

Into the Jungle

Ellie and Adam set out upriver on Adam's battered steamboat, the Mary Lee. Their journey is fraught with hazards—crocodiles, rapids, and the ever-present threat of pursuit by Jacobs. As they follow the map's cryptic clues, Ellie's scholarly knowledge and Adam's bushcraft prove complementary. They navigate ancient caves, discover petroglyphs, and find evidence of a lost civilization. Their partnership deepens, complicated by mutual attraction and the ever-present specter of danger.

Rival Expeditions

Jacobs and his employer, Professor Dawson, have not given up. With more resources and hired guns, they mount their own expedition, using information stolen from Ellie and Adam. The race to the lost city becomes a deadly contest. Ellie and Adam are eventually captured, forced to cooperate under threat to each other's lives. The true nature of the artifact they seek—the Smoking Mirror—begins to emerge, as does the realization that Dawson and Jacobs are part of a secretive organization seeking arcane relics for power.

The Black Pillar

Deep in the mountains, Ellie and Adam discover the Black Pillar, a magnetic stela inscribed with unknown glyphs, confirming the authenticity of the map and medallion. The find is revolutionary, blending Mayan and Aztec iconography in ways never before seen. The pillar's magnetic pull and the medallion's matching symbol suggest a lost technology or ritual purpose. The discovery cements Ellie's place as a true archaeologist, even as the dangers mount.

The City of Seven Caves

The expedition reaches the legendary city—Tulan, the City of Seven Caves. The ruins are vast, beautiful, and haunted by the evidence of sudden catastrophe: mass graves, abandoned homes, and a sense of loss. The city's architecture and artifacts reveal a civilization of immense sophistication, but also a dark history of blood sacrifice and the use of the Smoking Mirror. The city's secrets are protected by deadly traps, monstrous bats, and the lingering power of the mirror itself.

The Path of Kings

To reach the heart of Tulan, Ellie and Adam must navigate a series of ritual trials modeled on Mayan myth: the House of Razors, the House of Cold, the House of Jaguars, and more. Each test is both physical and psychological, forcing them to confront their fears, their pasts, and the cost of knowledge. Along the way, they discover the remains of the city's last priestess, Ixb'ahjun, and the truth of the mirror's power: it grants visions, but demands blood and sacrifice.

The Smoking Mirror

At the city's core lies the Smoking Mirror, a flawless disk of obsidian. As rival factions converge, Ellie is forced to activate the mirror with her own blood. She is drawn into visions—of the city's rise and fall, of the priestess's sacrifice, and of her own deepest desires. The mirror offers knowledge, but at a terrible price. Ellie realizes that the artifact is too dangerous to fall into anyone's hands, especially those who would use it for power.

Blood and Sacrifice

With the help of Padre Kuyoc, a Mayan priest with his own history in Tulan, Ellie and Adam orchestrate a desperate plan. Using dynamite hidden in Kuyoc's reed breastplate, they collapse the cave system, burying the mirror and the city's secrets forever. In a harrowing escape through flooded tunnels and monstrous bats, they emerge into the storm, battered but alive. The city of Tulan is lost once more, its power sealed away.

The Collapse of Tulan

As the city sinks into the earth, Ellie is wracked with guilt over the destruction of a priceless archaeological site. Kuyoc reassures her that some things are too dangerous to preserve, and that the true legacy of Tulan lives on in its people and their stories. The survivors—locals, laborers, and a handful of expedition members—flee to the safety of Santa Dolores, leaving behind the ruins and the ambitions of men like Dawson and Jacobs.

Aftermath in Santa Dolores

In the Mayan village of Santa Dolores, Ellie and Adam recover from their ordeal. The community welcomes them, and Ellie is forced to confront the consequences of her choices. She and Adam confess their feelings for each other, forging a partnership built on respect, honesty, and shared purpose. The threat of Dawson, Jacobs, and their secret society lingers, but for now, Ellie and Adam have found a place where they belong.

The Price of Knowledge

Ellie reflects on the lessons of Tulan: the dangers of unchecked ambition, the cost of knowledge, and the importance of balance. The mirror's visions haunt her, but she is determined to use what she has learned to protect the world from those who would abuse arcane power. Adam, too, is changed—more aware of his responsibilities, and more committed to standing with Ellie against the forces that threaten them.

The Next Arcana

As the dust settles, Ellie and Adam learn that Dawson and Jacobs are not finished. Their organization seeks other arcane relics—next in Egypt, where Ellie's stepbrother Neil is excavating the tomb of Horemheb. The Staff of Moses, a legendary artifact of biblical power, is their new target. Ellie and Adam resolve to pursue them, setting the stage for their next adventure—and the ongoing battle to keep the world's most dangerous secrets out of the wrong hands.

Characters

Eleanora "Ellie" Mallory

Ellie is a brilliant, fiercely independent woman stifled by the gendered constraints of Victorian England. Her passion for history and archaeology is matched only by her refusal to accept the roles society prescribes for her. Ellie's journey is one of self-assertion: from frustrated archivist to revolutionary explorer, she claims her right to knowledge, adventure, and love. Her psychoanalytic core is a struggle between the desire for recognition and the fear of the cost of ambition. Her relationship with Adam is both a partnership of equals and a source of vulnerability, forcing her to confront her own heart as well as her intellect.

Adam Bates

Adam is an American exile, a Cambridge dropout, and the assistant surveyor general of British Honduras. He is practical, irreverent, and deeply competent in the wild, but haunted by a sense of not belonging—either in the world of privilege he left behind or the colonial society he serves. Adam's development is shaped by his growing respect for Ellie, his struggle with the violence and exploitation he witnesses, and his realization that some things—love, justice, knowledge—are worth fighting for, even at great personal risk.

Jacobs

Jacobs is a cold, calculating operative for a secretive organization seeking arcane relics. He is dangerous not just for his physical prowess, but for his uncanny ability to read people and anticipate their moves. Jacobs represents the dark side of ambition: the willingness to use any means, including violence and betrayal, to achieve power. His relationship to Ellie and Adam is that of predator to prey, but he is also a mirror for their own potential for ruthlessness.

Professor Dawson

Dawson is a British academic obsessed with the arcane. He is both a rival and a foil to Ellie—privileged, self-important, and ultimately out of his depth. His psychoanalytic core is insecurity masked by arrogance. Dawson's willingness to serve the secret society in exchange for recognition and resources makes him a cautionary figure, illustrating the dangers of knowledge divorced from ethics.

Padre Amilcar Kuyoc

Kuyoc is a Mayan priest and former revolutionary who has survived the destruction of his people and the temptations of the Smoking Mirror. He is both a guide and a warning to Ellie and Adam, embodying the wisdom and trauma of those who have seen the cost of power. Kuyoc's actions are driven by a desire to protect his adopted community and to atone for past choices. His relationship to the arcane is deeply ambivalent—he knows its allure and its dangers.

Constance Tyrrell

Constance is Ellie's childhood friend and partner in rebellion. She is bold, witty, and unafraid of scandal, providing both comic relief and emotional support. Constance's psychoanalytic role is as Ellie's externalized courage—the voice that urges her to seize her destiny, even when it means breaking the rules.

Ixb'ahjun (The Priestess)

Ixb'ahjun is the last priestess of Tulan, whose spirit lingers in the mirror and Ellie's dreams. She is both a symbol and a character: the embodiment of the costs of power, the burden of leadership, and the hope for redemption. Her relationship to Ellie is that of mentor and warning, guiding her through visions and demanding that she confront her own desires.

Flowers

Flowers is one of Jacobs' hired men, notable for his size, kindness, and quiet subversion. He becomes an ally to Ellie and Adam, helping them at key moments. Flowers represents the possibility of decency and solidarity even among the "enemy."

Lessard

Lessard is a tough, resourceful member of the expedition, more interested in survival and camaraderie than ideology. His humor and pragmatism provide balance to the group, and his actions in the final confrontation are crucial.

Charlie Goodwin

Charlie is a local guide and friend to Adam, deeply aware of the injustices of colonialism. He is a quiet revolutionary, using his skills and connections to help Ellie and Adam. Charlie's presence grounds the story in the realities of the colony and the ongoing struggle for justice.

Plot Devices

The Map and the Medallion

The discovery of the ancient map and medallion is the inciting incident, setting Ellie on her quest and drawing the attention of rival factions. The map is both a literal guide and a symbol of hidden knowledge, while the medallion serves as a key to the city's secrets and the mirror's power. Their authenticity is constantly in question, driving both suspense and character development.

The Smoking Mirror

The mirror is the central MacGuffin, representing the allure and peril of forbidden knowledge. It grants visions, reveals desires, and demands blood. The mirror's power is ambiguous—offering both enlightenment and destruction. Its presence foreshadows the moral dilemmas and sacrifices to come, and its ultimate destruction is both a climax and a warning.

The Path of Kings (Initiation Trials)

The journey through the ritual caves beneath Tulan is both a physical and psychological ordeal, echoing Mayan myth and serving as a crucible for Ellie and Adam. Each trial—razors, cold, jaguars, bats, and the mountain of bones—forces them to confront their fears, their relationship, and the cost of ambition. The trials foreshadow the choices they must make regarding the mirror and their own desires.

Rival Expeditions and Pursuit

The presence of Jacobs, Dawson, and their organization creates constant tension, turning the quest into a race. The threat of violence, betrayal, and exploitation is ever-present, forcing Ellie and Adam to adapt, improvise, and trust each other. The pursuit also serves as a metaphor for the larger forces—colonialism, patriarchy, greed—that shape their world.

Dreams and Visions

Ellie's dreams, often featuring the scarred priestess, serve as both warnings and guides. The visions granted by the mirror reveal the past, the future, and the true nature of desire. These sequences blur the line between reality and myth, deepening the story's psychological and symbolic resonance.

Collapse and Sacrifice

The climax—Ellie's decision to destroy the mirror and collapse Tulan—embodies the theme that some knowledge is too dangerous to preserve. The destruction is both literal and symbolic: a sacrifice to prevent greater harm, and a reckoning with the legacy of violence and ambition.

Analysis

Empire of Shadows is a thrilling, character-driven adventure that reimagines the lost city quest as a meditation on power, knowledge, and the costs of ambition. Jacquelyn Benson weaves together feminist critique, postcolonial awareness, and mythic resonance, using the conventions of pulp archaeology to interrogate who gets to write history and at what price. Ellie's journey from frustrated scholar to revolutionary explorer is both a personal and political awakening, challenging the structures that exclude and exploit. The novel's arcane plot devices—map, medallion, mirror—are not just MacGuffins but metaphors for the allure and danger of forbidden knowledge. The story's heart lies in the partnership between Ellie and Adam, whose mutual respect, vulnerability, and courage allow them to face both external threats and their own inner darkness. The destruction of Tulan is a powerful, ambiguous ending: a necessary sacrifice to prevent greater evil, but also a loss that haunts the survivors. The book's final note—Ellie and Adam's resolve to continue the fight against those who would abuse arcane power—sets the stage for a series that promises both adventure and thoughtful engagement with the legacies of empire, gender, and the human desire to know.

Last updated: July 27, 2025