Rent Blood of the Emperor (Annals of Drakis Series)

Synopsis

In this thrilling conclusion to The Annals of Drakis, it appears that the ancient prophecy of Drakis — the human warrior who will lead all the races conquered and enslaved by the elves of the Rhonas Empire to freedom — is about to be fulfilled. The elves have ruled their vast Empire for centuries, thanks to both their well-trained Legions and their complete control of the Aether — the mystical substance that fuels their magic. But there is now a growing rebel army threatening to overrun their territory. It is an army able to draw on magic of its own, an army allied with dragons, an army marching under the banner of a human named Drakis. Once a warrior-slave to the elves, Drakis, along with a small group of stalwart companions, escaped from these cruel masters when the Aether Wells in the region were brought down by a single dwarf's magic. Their flight took them straight into a realm out of legend, where dragons were real and were ready to once again ally with humans. Flown back to their homeland by five of these dragons, the adventurers find themselves hailed as conquering heroes, and, willing or not, Drakis is forced to take on the role of leader. And soon there can be no turning back from the inevitable conflict, for the elves are mobilizing their Legions to destroy not only the entire rebel force, but all the pilgrims that have flocked to the Man of the Prophecy's encampment right down to the youngest children. Desperate to avert disaster, Drakis has conceived a plan that he hopes will provide a haven for the pilgrims and put an end to war. But when he sends his fellow dragon-riders out to contact his scattered forces and potential allies, Drakis is unaware that almost all of them have hidden agendas of their own. The Lyric is a human woman whose perception of reality and of her own identity changes from moment to moment. Jugar the dwarf struck the first blow against the elves with Aer magic and has an overwhelming thirst for revenge against the Empire that destroyed his kingdom. Ethis the chimerian shapeshifter has never denied that his first allegiance is to his people and his Queen. And Urulani of the Forgotten Ones, representative of the free humans, has promised to see this fight through with Drakis no matter what may await them. Now both sides are mobilizing for their final campaign, a battle that could not only bring down the Rhonas Empire — but Drakis and his entire world as well...

View descriptions at Amazon.com