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Prologue
Farren
The heavy smell of smoke and magic filled the air, mixing with the screams of my brood. It wasn’t the smoke of dragons, but war. Dragon fire was familiar, calming… Or it should have been. This was all wrong. Bitter and metallic, it overwhelmed me, making my stomach churn.
Blasts of magic and the clang of weapons sent me running deeper into the manor, calling out for my parents, but the only answer I received was the echo of agonized screams both within the walls and drifting in from outside. Our people were laying down their lives to save us, and I was running away like a coward. But what could a child do against an army that had already hunted and killed most of our kind? I knew I was no match for them, yet I still felt pathetic. Dread pooled in my stomach, heavy and acrid.This will be the day I die.
Staff ignored me as I called out to them for help, too busy fleeing for their own lives. Even the guards were missing from the quickly emptying halls, fighting for our land. We were the last of the old world dragons, and we were making our final stand.
Just as I rounded the corner, ready to call out again, I stopped. The sight of two wolves prowling ahead had me holding my breath and slowly backing toward the wall. Their noses twitched, and they shared a glance before sharply gazing around them. Thankfully, I was back far enough that they hadn’t spotted me. Yet.
“In here, child.” Anya’s familiar voice was music to my ears, and I nearly sobbed in relief. Once she had me inside, she closed the door, marking a rune in mid-air, a barrier forming on the doorway. “This isn’t going to hold for long, but I’m going to get you out of here. You have life left to live, and you’re going to keep our species alive,” she said firmly, desperation filling her words. “But you must know that your dragon will have to be a secret, masked for now. The future is uncertain, but I don’t want you to suffer the same fate as the rest of our brood.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. Her voice was grave, eyes hollow from the horrors she’d seen. They likely mirrored my own. I didn’t truly understand, but I trusted her, so I nodded, willing to agree to whatever she said if she stayed with me.
A trusted friend when I needed one, Anya had been my nanny, then my tutor. The one constant presence in my life. My parents weren’t absent, but they were busy. Running the largest stronghold in America wasn’t easy, especially one so well hidden in the mountains. We were disconnected from the modern world, mostly self-sufficient outside of the necessary supply runs. My parents preferred it that way, especially once the dragon hunting truly started. At first, it was news shared over dinner—a small brood here, a stronghold there. Even at my age, I could sense their worry. But they assured me we’d withstand any attacks. They said we were strong and prepared…Guess that was a lie.Half the time I was ushered out of the room, deemed too young to understand, and sent off to be with Anya. She made their absence a bit easier to handle, and I trusted her with my life.
She was the one who’d taught me about our kind and warned me to not trust other supernaturals. As dragons, we were considered an ancient race. She, my parents, and all of the adult dragons that I looked up to, insisted the younger races—like shifters and witches—were greedy for our magic. The idea of going into that world was terrifying. Would I truly be hunted or used by everyone? Could I never form meaningful connections with those outside the brood? I didn’t know if their words were to be wholly trusted, but one thing was for certain. With the extinction of our race looming large and bloody right in front of me, their advice promised a lonely existence if I survived tonight.
As I turned my attention back to Anya, I realized she was throwing supplies into one backpack.One.
“Won’t you come with me?” I begged, my falling tears making it hard to see her. The thought of leaving her behind was torture. How could a ten-year-old survive alone?
She blinked back tears of her own, placing a gentle, loving hand on my cheek. “I wish I could, sweet girl, but we all have our destinies to fulfill. I’ll be with you in spirit. Put this on.” She reached for her amulet, one I never saw her without. The moment she placed it around my neck, her magic seemed to burst free, so much stronger than anyone had ever known. If I had to guess, there was more to Anya than met the eye. It was no shock that she’d hidden it. To reveal any strength that surpassed the royal family would surely earn her exile—if enough of us survived to exact any kind of punishment on her, that is. Our brood was our family, our lifeblood, and to be stripped of your place among them was the highest disgrace. It was this reveal that finally slid into place the realization of just how dire things were.
Anya did not plan for us to meet again.
Glancing down at the amulet, I fought off a mix of desperation, sadness, and fear. In that moment, I knew exactly what she’d given me—a way to hide among the other supernaturals. I just prayed to the gods that her magic was enough to protect her now.
“No!” I cried, refusing to accept what she was saying as she ushered me across the room. Being stubborn wouldn’t help me, but I was terrified. My entire world was falling apart around me.
“When I tell you to go, you go,” she said vehemently. Her hands lit up with magic before she used one finger to draw a rune on her forehead, then mine. I felt the warmth of it lingering there for a moment before it faded completely, the amulet mimicking the action.
A loud banging on the door had us both swallowing hard. This was it. Anya stepped onto the window seat and threw the windows wide, letting in the icy mountain air and smoke. It made me cough, but there was no time to be concerned about that. She easily lifted me up to stand next to her.
Another bang, and her barrier fell with a snap. She turned to me, eyes wild and desperate as she mouthed the word that would send me fleeing from my sure demise.
Go.
It held such intense finality that my chest ached, but I didn’t hesitate. I couldn’t, not if I wanted to have any chance at a future. A rush of magic washed over me as my dragon took form, then I jumped out the window, wings beating like mad as I soared out of sight. My dragon was dark, midnight purple, allowing me to easily blend in with the night sky, which was just about the only time I was allowed to fly. When your people were systematically hunted to the point of near extinction, you couldn’t take the chance of trying to soar against a clear blue sky.
I’d barely made it out of sight when a stabbing pain echoed through me, like my soul was being seared. Then I knew. The rune on my forehead flared white hot as it activated, and a strike of pain and dread hit me at the same time that confirmed my worst fear. The overwhelming grief was dulled by the influx of magic that nearly had me falling from the sky, instinct alone keeping me from plummeting into the mountains below.
Anya is dead, and her magic is now mine.
My own magic well swelled to life, increasing as her energy mixed with mine.Her magic was as old as the mountains themselves, powerful and strong, yet controlled. I hadn’t gained her abilities, just her supply, meaning I might actually stand a chance of surviving among the rest of the world.
‘We’ll be okay. Keep going,’the voice in my head encouraged in her gentle tone. It was so unexpected I nearly careened into the battle below. She’d been silent for so long that I thought she’d left me. Most dragons spoke nearly from birth, but mine rarely had, only popping in from time to time and never giving much away. Mother always said it was because the older dragon souls took longer to bond with our human one.
Even though she tried to hide her emotions from me, I could feel her pain and sadness.
‘Why are you here now?’I asked, using her as a distraction. Even in this form, my human heart ached for my family and the woman who had given her life for mine.
‘You need me now,’she said simply, as if that was supposed to be enough.‘I’m Zehra.’
1
Nikolaus
