The Dead Lands of Edessa

Son of a traitor. Mage of the Senior Branch. An aspiring politician. A lonely man trying to resist the darkness. Lucius Avitus Ederion has many faces, and none of them are to his liking. Edessa is threatened by great danger. Rumors of barbarian attacks on distant borders are growing more frequent, entire legions are disappearing without a trace, and mages of the Junior Branch are vanishing. Lucius has only one chance to stop the chaos by navigating through a web of secrets and intrigues of those he considers his allies. And the only one who does not look at him with hostility is his new slave, Orcho. He follows him like a shadow, protects him, and tries to shield him from the pervasive evil that is slowly trapping them. How important are wealth and the purity of blood when the lives of loved ones are at stake? Can the heart see the truth through the web of lies?