Son of the Drowned Empire (Drowned Empire, #1.5)

A Treacherous Oath Lord Rhyan Hart, Heir Apparent to the Arkasva, High Lord of Glemaria, Imperator to the North, has carried the weight of his title his entire life. But never has he felt it more than now. After sacrificing everything to protect the girl he loves, a shocking revelation endangers her again. The consequences stretch across the Empire and increase his father's power over him. Rhyan struggles to fight back, and protect his loved ones, but rising threats force new oaths to be sworn–oaths that could ruin everything. A Deadly Tournament As the anniversary of the Imperator’s rule approaches, he resurrects one of Glemaria’s deadliest soturion the Alissedari . Soturi must enter the arena on gryphon back in a fight to the death. Rhyan knows he has no choice but to win, no matter the cost to his heart or soul. A Forbidden Love When evil invades Glemaria, the lines between friend and foe are blurred. Rhyan has always lived by his oaths. But the only way he can fulfill one oath is to forswear another, and the only way to save a life is to take someone else’s. How can Rhyan tear the final rope apart to protect the girl he loves when he’s not even sure what it means to be a soturion anymore, and every step he takes towards his love puts her in more danger?