The Empty Vessel - The Fifth Accord, #2

Embark on an enthralling odyssey through a dark fantasy landscape, where the splintered houses of the Mornae vie for dominance amidst decaying power. A once-great race, they are haunted by the ghosts of their former glory. Taul is gifted with the rare power to coax life from the desolate valleys surrounding the crater. His millennia-old orchard now decays, a rot gnawing at its heart. As the consort of mid-rank matron, he becomes entangled in her affairs, managing her properties and business deals, while his cherished orchards languish.
Tragedy strikes when his matron suffers another miscarriage. Torn between desperation and duty, Taul embarks on a quest into Vaidolin's criminal underworld to find his love an heiress. His mentor's cryptic counsel echoes, though, hinting at salvation tied to his forsaken gift. Ren is a cunning thief, forever in service to the High Matron's consort. His heart, calloused from years of thievery and treachery, seeks meaning and purpose.
When destiny offers him a fleeting glimpse of redemption, will he seize the opportunity or be consumed by the shadows that have been his cloak? In the eye of this storm stands Gishna, the ancient and decrepit high matron of Ilor'Hosmyr. Plagued by a centuries-old blight that renders her house barren, she orchestrates a desperate plan to preserve her bloodline. Oblivious to the rot consuming the valley - her principal source of wealth - she risks precipitating a political catastrophe that could shatter the delicate equilibrium of the crater. As the lines of fate intertwine, Taul, Ren, and Gishna are driven towards an inevitable collision, each bound by the desperate need to save their house or their very lives.
The Empty Vessel is a tale of power, sacrifice, and survival, where heroes are not born, but forged in the crucible of necessity.