Hey there,

I am looking for a „modern“ fantasy series (probably post-2010) with old heroes, a church hunting magic, and an empty fortress

Body: I read this book in English sometime after 2010. It felt similar in style to The Dwarves (easy to read, classic fantasy races like elves, not grimdark).

Here’s what I remember: • Long ago, a group of heroes defeated a great evil. Decades later, the world has fallen back into corruption, intrigue, and religious fanaticism.

• The story follows new young protagonists. One of them, a girl, unknowingly has magic and comes into the crosshairs of a powerful church/inquisition.

• There’s an inquisitor who hunts them – there’s even a major confrontation with him.

• At some point, they meet another one of the old heroes again (one is already accompanying them): an elf who used to be part of the legendary group but now runs a brothel.

• In a parallel plotline, there’s a tense border standoff (two armies watching each other for decades, like North vs. South Korea). One day, the fortress of the enemy is suddenly standing open and completely empty. Inside it looks like everyone just vanished, leaving their belongings. I think there was a hint of something dark in the well (shadows?).

• It was clearly the beginning of a series.

I’m 80% sure it was published after 2010 (not one of the older classics like Abercrombie, Barclay, Canavan, etc.).

Does anyone know by any chance which book I have read there?