Empire of Blood

Chapter 1: Dragonfire and Steel

However, a few slight errors resulted from Silver's formulas, such as the mark on her hand and her race change from elf to human—as her parents were elves. The only resemblance she shared with her mother was her copper-kissed skin tone that accentuated the hue of her emerald eyes gleaming against her chocolate-brown hair. Regardless, the Well of Souls was a massive breakthrough in magic.

Her partner and twin flame, Thor, was such a Divinity Dragon, as he and Selena shared the same Divine mother. Trying to distinguish one was folly, for it was nearly impossible to identify one unless they had fully realized their power; otherwise, they could easily be mistaken for another breed. Thor, for instance, was suspected of being a cross between the Fire Ridgebacks and the Blackland Steelwings, only recently confirmed by Silver's team of scholars to have been blessed by the Divines.

Although only one Divinity Dragon could exist at any time, Silver somehow found a way around Xyaxon's rule—the Divine over life and creation—and Selena received the same blessing as her half-brother. Though she was human, the Divinity Dragon's blood ran through her veins, thus granting her their powers, but she had no control.

The Day of Eternal Darkness—an eclipse that would empower their feared nemesis known only as the Lich and his accumulated army to god-like strength—lingered over the horizon on the winter solstice. The twenty-second of Moonstar was about four months away, and Selena wasn't close to figuring out how to control her dragon powers.

Yet, since the Battle of Alfheim, Selena and Thor had been hard at work training relentlessly with Colonel Theron Cyres and his Onyxian Steelbelly partner, Onyxria. She was a heavy-weight fire-breather with more than forty years of combat experience; she worked more directly with Thor to perfect his fire abilities. Meanwhile, Silver helped him practice his other elemental powers in Dragonspire; even now, Selena could hear the loud noises and feel the earth shake from Thor's might.

Selena hissed through her teeth as she peered over her shoulder, ensuring their conversation remained clandestine. "Even though we're at Silver's manor, please refrain from calling me that, as the Council still isn't aware of who I am."

Rahim groaned. "I don't think those foul old gits would hear; Dragonstone is safe."

Selena cringed as she knew how ruthless their leader, Vidar Helios, could be. The Council remained oblivious to her guise; women were forbidden to be dragon riders, so she hid under the alias of Andric Liongod, disguised as a boy, to protect her bond with Thor. Although the Council sent two riders—brothers and Flying Officers Gromm and Beck Steelmane on the Empress' order—to rescue her from the Lich's clutches near the new year, Vidar knew of her but not Thor; he neither recognized Selena's name nor where she came from. The pair safely hid within Her Imperial Majesty's Air Force for the past several months without detection, completed basic training by mid-Xol, and the two became war heroes in the Battle of Alfheim.

Though General Araneus and his partner, Aracania, relied on their unique powers, Selena remained hidden for other reasons: her existence defied the natural order, as her parents and Silver dabbled in illegal magic to resurrect her. As Silver finished the Well of Souls, although sparing the Empress, the Council arrested her father, Phantom Dust—the Shadow Emperor—and sentenced him to death. Yet, he escaped Mortemholdt and had been in hiding for over two hundred years. Dust only recently made his return to help Selena forge her sword, Dragonheart, and participate in her seventeenth birthday party.

Selena and Rahim felt the ground shake again, and the two saw an earth wall erupt around Dragonspire beyond Silver's property. "I told you there must have been an earthquake." Rahim sneered, and Selena elbowed his arm.

She folded up the game board. "What are your plans for the evening?"

Rahim shrugged. "I dunno. I'm thinking of meeting with Niamh and maybe Maria." His face flushed when he mentioned Niamh's name. Selena knew he liked her, but Rahim refused to admit his affections. They had the pleasure of forming a new acquaintance with Niamh Wood shortly after arriving in Alfheim. At the time, Myrrdin, or the Lich in disguise, was the one who introduced her.