Rise of Empire

A puppet is crowned. The true heir remains hidden. A rogue's secret could could change everything.War has come to Melengar and once more Royce and Hadrian are hired to make a desperate gamble and form an alliance with the Nationalists who are fighting the Imperialists in the south. But Royce has plans of his own and uses this opportunity to discover if an ancient wizard is using Riyria as pawns in his own bid for power. To find the truth, he must unravel the secret of Hadrian's past--what he discovers may end their friendship and break Riyria in two.And so continues the next volume of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.
This is the second omnibus (containing books #3 & #4) in the original series, The Riyria Revelations, from best-selling author Michael J. Sullivan. It takes place twelve years after the events of The Riyria Chronicles and the two series can be read in either chronological order or order of publication, although the author suggests reading in publication order.