ZACK

With the Order knights of Branil’s Burg defeated, the victorious Niyandrian rebels bend the knee to Anskar, their Melesh-Eloni—“godling”—and the true heir to the throne. But despite their victory, time is running out. Anskar’s powers are unpredictable, and to some, terrifying. Already, the mainlanders plan vengeance: An armada is being prepared, not for colonization this time, but for slaughter. And the ever-looming spirit of Queen Talia still seeks to return from the dead to begin a new necromantic empire, with her as the ever-living ruler.

In the wake of the rebel Niyandrians' abduction attempt, Anskar DeVantte, now a knight-inferior of the Order of Eternal Vigilance, has set sail with the Grand Master, bound for the mother house in Sansor. Anskar has already begun to suspect that the Order's holy convictions aren't as pure as they appear, and his doubts are confirmed when the ship detours to the slave markets of Atya. As the Grand Master gathers an expedition to retrieve an ancient artifact from an unearthed ruin, Anskar finds himself torn.

The Catenan Republic—the Hierarchy—may rule the world now, but they do not know everything. I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilized society in allowing my strength, my drive, and my focus—what they call Will—to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.