Chalice Bearer: Thornraven, Volume 1 (Twelve Systems Chronicles #8)

Lilian survived her Trial by Ordeal. Now the trial is over, but certainty remains elusive. As a newly elevated protégé of Serengeti, she must learn to navigate a future she never expected.

A future shaped by Estella Mercio's final gift.

Before her death, Estella took extraordinary measures to ensure Lilian would be positioned to help Lucius Mercio realize the future he sacrificed so much to achieve. But events already set in motion threaten everything Estella hoped to achieve.

A series of seemingly unrelated events draws Serengeti into a growing web of commercial intrigue. Rivals maneuver for advantage. Alliances shift. Carefully crafted strategies begin to unravel. As pressure mounts from multiple directions, Lilian's extraordinary ability to recognize patterns reveals connections no one else can see.

Connections that should not exist.

Lucius Mercio has spent years building Serengeti into one of the most powerful commercial interests in the Twelve Systems. He has survived wars, betrayals, and political battles that would have destroyed lesser leaders.

But some losses cannot be endured twice.

As uncertainty spreads among Lucius’ inner circle, Helena Faesetili's increasingly troubling visions suggest that the struggle unfolding around them may be far different from what it appears to be. And while others search for the hand directing events, Lilian becomes convinced that the greatest danger is not what they know.

It is what they have overlooked.

In the frigid depths of the crevasse, Lilian will uncover a legacy older than Serengeti, older than the cartels, and older than the Twelve Systems themselves.

One that threatens not only Serengeti, but the entire Twelve Systems.

THE TWELVE SYSTEMS CHRONICLES

The Cartel: The Apprentice, Volume 1

Bright Star: The Apprentice, Volume 2

Transgressions: The Apprentice, Volume 3

Fortuna: The Apprentice, Volume 4

Serengeti Valor: The Apprentice, Volume 5

Nightingale: The Apprentice, Volume 6

Bond Proof: The Apprentice, Volume 7

Chalice Bearer: Thornraven, Volume 1

Shield Bearer: Thornraven, Volume 2

Thorn Bearer: Thornraven, Volume 3