Rainer thought he'd enjoy his vacation at the capital, but when assassins attack and he gets word that Arakian may have been destroyed, his life gets turned upside down faster than he ever thought possible. Rainer has destroyed the most powerful members of the cabal that sought to bring down the empire and thinks his days of fighting are behind him.

And with an official summons to meet the emperor himself, it's not hard to see why. However, while cavorting around the capital they soon find that the assassins are still about.

Rainer charges into this threat and hopes that once putting it down he can return to his friends at Arakian. All is going as planned until he gets word from Arakian and it seems that the base might have come under attack.

Now he must make a desperate journey back to see if the base still stands and if his friends and comrades are still alive. Or if an ancient evil has swallowed them up.

Will he get to Arakian in time? Will this new threat from the north prove to be too much? Will he be able to bring the might of the empire against the ancient foe that just won't stay down? Or will the enemy's new power be the thing that does Rainer in?Is all lost for the empire of man?The Dark Returns is the third book in the Dread Lands series by Arthur Drake. A sword and sorcery dark fantasy series with a focus on action and fantastical creatures and locales.

Join Rainer as he faces off with a new menace from the dread lands, has to deal with new monsters and challenges, and faces his final fight against one of the most powerful beings in the world. Pick up your copy of The Dark Returns and cure your boredom today.

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