Empire of the Worm — Jack Conner

In the glorious empire of Qazradan, the youngest son of the Emperor seems to have it all -- youth, ability, intelligence -- and he's poised on the brink of a great destiny. Not only that, but his family seems ideal, the perfect royal family -- not oppressive but nurturing to their empire, almost democratic. But the royal family has a dark secret, and after Davril proves himself with a military victory over a minor rival, his father decides to reveal the family's secret ahead of time. Davril had been meant to learn it at sixteen, but instead he'll learn it at fifteen. Would the extra year of maturation have made a difference? One thing is certain -- everything is about to change, and not for the better. When Davril learns the hideous secret at the heart of the empire, that a great, otherworldly being must be given a regular human sacrifice -- worse, that it must be Davril's beloved who dies and he himself who wields the blade, Davril takes drastic and bloody action. When that happens, the wheels of fate begin to turn. The great and awful being that was supposed to be appeased is now wrathful, and its absence and unwillingness to help Qazradan opens the empire -- and the world -- up to strange new horrors. For the being had been keep OTHER entities at bay, even darker and more terrible, and with it gone they descend upon the world. The worst of them all, their supreme deity, is the one known as the Worm, and somehow Davril must prevent its coming, or at least its dominion, but how can he with the empire collapsing into chaos and a vicious cult out for his blood? This is a tale of triumph and tragedy, bloodshed and horror, as Davril seeks to reverse what he's done and prevent Qazradan from becoming . . . the Empire of the Worm.