Rainfall (Chronicles of Anrodnes, #4)

THE TRIAD WILL BECOME LEGEND AGAIN - OR FALL INTO DARKNESS FOREVER. Emperor Taldan Anrodnes faces his darkest days. Assassins from the War Guild nearly killed him, leaving his brother wounded. War has begun, shattering the peace of the empire and threatening everything Taldan has worked so hard to create. First Emperor Sladeran's influence through the Illumitae is growing within him. Taldan struggles to keep Sladeran's jealousy and madness under control and stay true to himself...and to his Chosen. When an oracle from the War Guild arrives at the capital city, the stakes finally become clear. The assassins are tampering with powerful forces - the crystals that forged the Illumitae - and now threaten not only the empire but the entire realm. Raine's heart breaks as Taldan's struggle to save the empire and control the Illumitae tears him apart and drives wedges between the three of them. He fears his meagre talents are not enough to truly help Taldan, the man he desperately loves. Raine must find a way to keep the triad bound together against all odds. Only by keeping their hearts together can they hope to stand against the War Guild and the corruption of the crystals. Hredeen had no choice when he was made a Chosen and brought into the triad, but he loves Taldan, and Raine is as dear as a brother to him. Yet, he chafes against Taldan's growing possessiveness, fearing the madness of Sladeran is growing stronger inside his beloved. But there are secrets in Hredeen's blood, and that blood will play a role in the future of the empire. The three of them must throw aside tradition and become something the empire has not seen since its earliest days: a true triad powerful enough to bring salvation...or destruction. The final book of the Anrodnes Chronicles!