Chapter One
The dream always began the same way.
Darkness.
Not the soft darkness of night, but something deeper. Older. Endless.
Brynn stood alone in a sea of black stone, her bare feet cold against the glassy surface. Above her, there was no sky. No stars. Only shadows twisting through an endless void.
And then she heard it.
A voice.
"Find me."
The words echoed through the darkness.
Brynn spun around.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
The voice came again, stronger this time.
"Find me before they do."
A crack split the ground beneath her feet.
Black roses burst from the stone, their petals unfurling as though they were alive. Thousands of them spread across the dark landscape.
Brynn stumbled backward.
The roses began to wilt.
One by one.
Petals drifted through the air like falling ash.
Then she saw it.
A single golden eye opening in the darkness.
Ancient.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Wake up."
Brynn bolted upright in bed.
Her heart hammered against her ribs.
The familiar wooden ceiling of her room came into focus.
Home.
Just a dream.
Another dream.
The same dream she'd been having for nearly three months.
A knock sounded on her door.
"Brynn!" her father called. "If you're late again, Headmaster Rowan is going to skin me alive."
Brynn groaned.
"Coming!"
She threw off her blanket and hurried to get dressed.
Outside her window, the kingdom of Aurelian was waking.
The city stretched across the mountainside, built from white stone and silver roofs that gleamed in the morning sun. Banners bearing the royal crest fluttered in the breeze.
Beautiful.
And completely exhausting.
Today marked the beginning of her final year at the Academy of Riders.
The most prestigious school in the kingdom.
And the place Brynn hated more than anything.
Not because she wasn't good.
Because she was.
Too good.
Everyone expected greatness from her.
Perfect grades.
Perfect combat scores.
Perfect future.
Meanwhile, Brynn would have been perfectly happy spending her life anywhere else.
She grabbed her satchel and rushed downstairs.
Her father was waiting by the door.
"You look terrible."
"Good morning to you too."
"You were having the dream again."
Brynn froze.
Her father immediately regretted saying it.
The room went quiet.
Ever since her mother disappeared seven years ago, neither of them liked talking about strange things.
Especially dreams.
Especially dragons.
"I'm fine," Brynn said.
"You don't look fine."
"I'm still breathing."
"Unfortunately."
Brynn laughed despite herself.
Her father grinned.
"There she is."
For a moment, things felt normal.
Then the bells rang. Deep. Loud.
Echoing across the city.
Brynn's smile vanished.
The bells only rang for three reasons.
War.
Death.
Or a dragon hatching.
Father and daughter exchanged a glance.
Nobody spoke.
Then another bell sounded.
And another.
And another.
The entire city seemed to stop.
People rushed into the streets.
Merchants abandoned their stalls.
Guards ran toward the Academy.
Brynn felt something strange twist in her chest. Like a thread pulling tight.
Like something was calling her.
Far away.
Waiting.
"Find me."
The voice whispered through her mind.
Brynn's blood ran cold.
Because this time...
She wasn't asleep.
At the center of the Academy, hidden beneath layers of stone and magic, something ancient stirred inside a forgotten chamber.
An enormous egg sat alone in the darkness.
Black as midnight.
Covered in silver cracks.
For centuries, it had remained silent.
Dead.
Forgotten.
Waiting.
Until now.
A single crack spread across its surface.
And from somewhere deep inside came a low growl.
