Dawn of Defiance: The Dark — Andi Neal

Ryder has spent all of his life dreaming of what lies beyond his father's small Baricoan farm. But when a mysterious man falls at his feet from the sky, he finds himself caught in a whirlwind of dangerous adventure that transports him beyond any dream he could have imagined. Now he has no choice but to venture into the unfamiliar territory of his kingdom's greatest enemy. Jaguria is a land unlike any Ryder has ever seen, but it is ruled by a greedy, merciless emperor. With mysterious warrior Xander aiding him, Ryder faces the formidable gates of the emperor's imperial city. The city that holds Barico's savior Tristan captive. He must risk everything in a daring rescue to free Tristan before it is too late. But when he and his companions are forced to flee south to avoid the emperor's wrathful grasp, Ryder discovers an oppressed people desperate for relief and on the verge of rebelling. Finding himself in a fight he never meant to start, he realizes the people he thought were his enemy are actually his greatest ally. Evading an emperor who has never been challenged, he inadvertently lays the foundation for the land's Dawn of Defiance.