as fire a

enturies of silence. Kaelith fell to her knees, shielding her face as heat surged around her in a cyclone

n gold, wings torn but still mighty. Chains clung to its limbs like dea

et Kaelith's again. "You are her blood," it

e trembled. "W

Queen's Guard. Bound to guard the F

tone. She had awakened a dragon bound to her mother. This wa

, a thin line of blood trickling down his temple. He

y now. "You knew who I was. Why didn't

ause... I didn't w

ire curling at her fin

stop. But it's not just you now..." His gaze flicked to Varion

s narrowed. "

moment... then disappeared i

o

ine fading. "What now?" she wh

gdom will know the flame has returned. They wil

to fight. I don't

e tunnel. "Your enemies already believe y

ckered along the walls, not lit by torches but by the dragon's breath alone. Each

tle. Thunder cracked, and outside-the sky bled fire. Dozens of

ag

t free

were

ith

und me," sh

come. But not before we find the one th

ha

sive head toward

e c

were etched with runes she couldn't read, but they pulsed faintly as she passed, reacting to her presence. So

down here?" she asked, h

y step. "Since the Flame Queen fell. When her blood was spilled, her ma

that I've done that... they'l

ady are,"

ming dragons. Kaelith could feel the surge of energy in the earth itself-a resonance pulling her toward something deeper

obsidian, and hovering above it was a crown unlike any Kaelith had ever seen. It wasn't golden or jeweled

sive head. "Forged by the Flame Queen. It cannot b

mories. A castle burning. A lullaby in the dark. A woman's hand brushing her cheek as flames

t-slowly, fing

ed across the walls, and from above, dust rained down like ash. A thunderous

er dr

did not speak

shield her. "This one is not bound by bl

d inward. A figure stepped through the smoke-tall, armored in black glass, a he

boy from

hing was

per, distorted. "You shouldn't have awakened him,"

frozen. "You..

of fire. Twisted by prophecy. But I saw the truth. The c

roared,

nch. He raised his

he base of the crown's pedestal. Dazed, she looked up-only

before it

wallowed t