The Lord of Castle Black — Steven Brust

The Interregnum is over. To everyone's astonishment, Zerika, a young Phoenix, has coolly emerged from the Paths of the Dead, carrying with her the Orb, which everyone had thought was lost in Adron's Disaster. The Orb is the heart of the Dragaeran Empire, the source of all its magic--and the infallible sign that Zerika is the new Empress.

But not everyone is happy to hear the news. Kana, a Dragonlord, has been expanding his holdings. He now controls almost half the area that was once the Empire--in effect, the Empire re-created, with himself on the throne.

Among those opposing him is Morrolan, who, until recently, was an orphan raised among Easterners, unaware of his lineage. It has belatedly come to his attention that he's a high-ranking Dragonlord, and now he means to act like one. And from Sethra Lavode he has received a gift of immense significance and power: Blackwand, a magical artifact in the form of a sword.

He'll find plenty to do with it.