Heroes of the Empire Series by Israh Azizi

She calls the Empire home. He pledges to bring its downfall.Death is Velamir’s close acquaintance. As a student in the Chishman academy, he cannot escape the brutal war. When he’s sent on a mission with three fellow academy cadets, Velamir returns to the Empire, the land of his birth. Calamity befalls the group as they trek through enemy territory, and Velamir learns a part of his past that makes the mission far more personal... moreShe calls the Empire home. He pledges to bring its downfall.Death is Velamir’s close acquaintance. As a student in the Chishman academy, he cannot escape the brutal war. When he’s sent on a mission with three fellow academy cadets, Velamir returns to the Empire, the land of his birth. Calamity befalls the group as they trek through enemy territory, and Velamir learns a part of his past that makes the mission far more personal. Burdened with the deaths of the unavenged and the chance of losing his own life, Velamir must decide if revenge is worth the cost.Natassa knows her role well: The silent and obedient girl. The one who looks away from the torture her father, the emperor, inflicts on the Empire’s inhabitants. The princess. But she’s a shackled prisoner, and somewhere under the mask is a spark of rebellion. When she learns of her father’s intention to marry her to a man she loathes, Natassa crafts a risky plan of her own—one dangerous enough to get her killed.Two searching hearts. Two perilous paths. Velamir must find the courage to face his past and Natassa must find the strength to face herself before the war consumes them both. less

THE EMPIRE IS CRUMBLING, AND THEFATE OF A KINGDOM RESTS IN THEIR HANDS.Mordon dedicated his life to his father; his only dream was to prove himself worthy of Verin's general. But with the ruthless Tariqin attack comes a brutal awakening. Captured by enemy forces and dragged into a war camp full of the people he was trained to kill, his hopes of proving himself worthy are dashed to pieces... moreTHE EMPIRE IS CRUMBLING, AND THEFATE OF A KINGDOM RESTS IN THEIR HANDS.Mordon dedicated his life to his father; his only dream was to prove himself worthy of Verin's general. But with the ruthless Tariqin attack comes a brutal awakening. Captured by enemy forces and dragged into a war camp full of the people he was trained to kill, his hopes of proving himself worthy are dashed to pieces. When the enemy offers him a chance for a grand future, he's faced with a test that stretches him beyond his limits.Coralie's burden has never been heavier. After the Dark Lord Prolus's recent assault and her uncle's declining health, it is up to her to keep her kingdom together. The inevitable return of the Tariqin army lurks at their doorstep and her time is running short. Coralie turns to the newest residents of Verintown for assistance. Branded traitors and hated by many in the castle, they may very well be her downfall. Using their pledge for change in her favor, she tasks them with a mission most would consider a death sentence.Two determined warriors separated by a river of blood. Mordon must risk everything to become the man he yearns to be, and Coralie must fight to become the queen she was born to be. less

“Because this is your destiny.” The crown prince of the Empire, Honzio Hartinza, has become a prisoner within his own palace. Uluzar control has overtaken Hearcross, and with the Tariqin threat remaining too, the battle is far from over. To restore order, Honzio allies with a Savorian warrior and darkness itself in the form of a despised adversary, but it’s belief in himself that will be key to saving his land, people, and crown... more“Because this is your destiny.” The crown prince of the Empire, Honzio Hartinza, has become a prisoner within his own palace. Uluzar control has overtaken Hearcross, and with the Tariqin threat remaining too, the battle is far from over. To restore order, Honzio allies with a Savorian warrior and darkness itself in the form of a despised adversary, but it’s belief in himself that will be key to saving his land, people, and crown.Velamir chooses between his great love and best friend, leaving Jax’s fate in Coralie’s hands until he can track down Natassa’s captors. His desperate search leads him to Devorin. In the icy kingdom, he encounters a group proclaiming him the hero they’ve been searching for and learns the last words of a father he barely knew, whose own past reveals the course of Velamir’s future and knowledge that could end the war and bind the lands forevermore.Natassa evades her abductors and finds refuge with the Elders. She seeks the order’s aid in battling her shadows, but when she’s forced to wield them to her advantage, she learns of a pact made with them long ago. The shadows want something from her. The Golden Phoenix, the Elders call her, telling her of a prophecy. Natassa must accept her role in it and cross one of two risk everything to destroy evil for good or open the portal to a realm of spirits and burn the world to ashes. “Your destiny is to fight.” less

THE DEAD CANNOT COME BACK, BUT PROMISES MADE TO THEM LIVE FOREVER Honzio Hartinza is no stranger to loss, but rather than bury himself in mourning, he focuses on building a better empire and rooting out the traitors who wish to destroy it. His primary aim is finding Svorgin, but after searching endlessly, Honzio is losing hope of his friend’s survival... moreTHE DEAD CANNOT COME BACK, BUT PROMISES MADE TO THEM LIVE FOREVER Honzio Hartinza is no stranger to loss, but rather than bury himself in mourning, he focuses on building a better empire and rooting out the traitors who wish to destroy it. His primary aim is finding Svorgin, but after searching endlessly, Honzio is losing hope of his friend’s survival. Even so, he leaves the throne’s mantle in trustworthy hands and sets sail over the perilous Lagrima Sea to honor the promise he made him and free Savoria. When circumstances leave him stranded on the island alone, he conceals his identity until he can determine his next step.Saga Barindaughter met sorrow firsthand the day her father was captured. But under the oppressive rule of the Tariqins, grief didn’t help her survive—resentment did, a low vengeful fury that still burns within her. When a strange man washes onto Savorian shores and claims he has come on the emperor’s orders to save them, Saga’s misgivings hold her back. But despite her distrusting nature, the longer she spends in the stranger’s presence, the more she believes him and feels something she hasn’t in a long hope.When a mission from Emperor Honzio is entrusted to her, Aria enters Devorin’s castle to uncover the queen’s betrayal. Her attempts to rescue an imprisoned Savorian man go awry, and she becomes wrapped in a wicked scheme and is forced on a hunt for an ancient relic alongside the queen’s specially trained warriors—the Fox, the Mole, the Hounds, and the infamous Blade. Chained with the aggravating Savorian, she has no choice but to put her faith in him so they can escape before they unwillingly find the queen the tool to achieve her dream of world the Golden Crown. less