A late winter storm. An unexpectedly icy road. A limousine sliding, flipping, crumpling. And just like that, Emperor Vandion is left without an heir, and the Krillonian Empire reels in shock and dismay. Until they announce that there might actually be an anonymous heir out there … if he or she can be found.

All Rebellion ever wanted was revenge, she is old enough now to take it. Can she trust her new friends enough to reveal her identity? Will they trust her enough to reveal theirs? Sworn enemies Einar and Jania want nothing but to go home, in a world of betrayal; treachery and deceit, where is home? Trapped in a place where they can trust nobody, they must have faith in each other as they realise that strength and heroics are no match for politics and propaganda. Commander of the Royal Guard Eroz has made a bold move to protect Princess Auria, but was it worth the risk? Auria wonders if she can resist the madness which runs in the family; if not, she will have to fight herself and her brother for the throne. All their fates are tied to a thin scroll of paper and a question. Who is the Emperor’s heir?

An investigation of how a man could become a Roman emperor, and the failure to create an enduring, consistent system for selecting the next emperor. John D. Grainger analyses the Roman imperial succession, demonstrating that the empire organized by Augustus was fundamentally flawed in the method it used to find emperors. Augustus’s system was a mixture of heredity, senatorial, and military influences, and these were generally antagonistic. Consequently, the Empire went through a series of crises, in which the succession to a previous, usually dead, emperor was the main issue. The infamous “Year of the Four Emperors,” AD 69, is only the most famous of these crises, which often involved bouts of bloody and destructive civil war, assassinations and purges. These were followed by a period, usually relatively short, in which the victor in the “crisis” established a new system, juggling the three basic elements identified by Augustus, but which was as fragile and short lived as its predecessor; these “consequences” of each crisis are discussed. The lucid and erudite text is supported by over 22 genealogical tables and 100 images illustrating the Emperors. Praise of The Roman Imperial Succession “For a general introduction to the question of how one becomes a Roman emperor, Grainger has provided a sound guide.” —Bryn Mawr Classical Review

In The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley, the emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods. Kaden, the heir to the Unhewn Throne, has spent eight years sequestered in a remote mountain monastery, learning the enigmatic discipline of monks devoted to the Blank God. Their rituals hold the key to an ancient power he must master before it's too late. An ocean away, Valyn endures the brutal training of the Kettral, elite soldiers who fly into battle on gigantic black hawks. But before he can set out to save Kaden, Valyn must survive one horrific final test. At the heart of the empire, Minister Adare, elevated to her station by one of the emperor's final acts, is determined to prove herself to her people. But Adare also believes she knows who murdered her father, and she will stop at nothing—and risk everything—to see that justice is meted out. Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne The Emperor's Blades The Providence of Fire The Last Mortal Bond Other books in the world of the Unhewn Throne Skullsworn (forthcoming) At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Once a generation, when the emperor's heir comes of age, each realm must offer their most powerful gifted youth for a ritual known as The Emperor's Due. These selectees, born with incredible abilities, become training partners for the prince and are taught to one day help him rule the Empire. Quickly after the ritual is completed and their training begins, turmoil erupts in the Empire. Pirates command the sea and dragons rule the skies, while assassinations and betrayal threaten to break the emperor's hold over the individual realms. With no one to trust except each other, the selectees find themselves fighting for their lives while trying to keep the Empire from being engulfed in war.

The family's scum, the city's shame, the typical waste material. Whether it is the pride of outstanding achievements, or muddling through the fop, all look down on him, he is the complete and utter waste. A strange encounter, created the emperor of the cold, play around the city. The world gave me the cold, let me use the ice cold to send back ....