Synopses & Reviews
The second novel in the "enthralling" (Midwest Book Review) Annals of Drakis fantasy epic. The fates of Drakis, former slave warrior of the elven empire of Rhonas, and Soen, former Inquisitor of the Iblisi, are inexorably tied to the magic of Aether-lifeblood of the elven empire and the cause of humanity's fall. As each searches for the truth beyond legends, he must face his own destiny: Drakis amid the ruins of humanity's Lost Citadels; Soen in a desperate race to seize control of the farthest Aether Well of the empire...
Synopsis
The second novel in the "enthralling" (Midwest Book Review) Annals of Drakis fantasy epic The Rhonas Empire of the elves is built upon an unquenchable thirst for conquest. The elves control the Aether--the mystical substance that fuels their magic. And one use of this Aether is to compel total obedience on the part of the slaves drawn from the races they have defeated.
But there are legends that tell of an age when humans and the other slave races were free, ruling powerful empires of their own. Tales carried down from generation to generation speak of a hero who will lead an uprising against the empire. That hero, so the stories say, will be a human named Drakis.
When a captive dwarf called Jugar works Aer magic to destroy the Aether wells of the Western Provinces, it signals the start of a rebellion straight out of legend. In the ensuing chaos, the warrior-slave named Drakis, along with a small group of fellow slaves, flees--lured on by a melody that coils itself around his mind and conjures disturbing visions of dark wings, claws, iridescent scales, and fire.
Pursued by the Rhonas Iblisi Inquisitors, this desperate band of fugitives makes its way across the ocean only to find a desolated, seemingly lifeless land. Following the melody he alone can hear, Drakis stumbles on the incredible truth: dragons are real.
Attacked by these fierce, fire-breathing beings, the group escapes through a fold that opens into the remains of a once-great empire. Cut off from the world they know, can they survive the dangers of this treacherous realm, and find a way back to those they left behind--bringing the truth of the legends to the army of the rebellion even now being raised in the name of Drakis?
About the Author
Tracy Hickman has been writing and exploring fantasy and science fiction since the 1970s. Tracy eventually became a New York Times bestselling author (with Margaret Weis) of numerous series such as Dragonlance, the Death Gate Cycle, Darksword, and Rose of the Prophet. Together with his wife Laura, Tracy co-created the Dragonlance and Ravenloft games and, more recently, their own fantasy series, The Bronze Canticles. Tracy and Laura live in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah and have four children.