The Dragon Queen's Heir [book one]

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A TRIO OF FIGURES STAND around a table in the ruins of what was, less than two hours ago, one of the most prestigious schools in the kingdom. Faces solemn with an unspeakable tragedy, they watch scene after scene, memory after memory play out in the air in front of them. The air is heavy with grief, and all three figures struggle to speak despite the imminent danger their kingdom is now faced with.

"We need to find a way to stop her." A new memory, bright with the light of an explosion, lights up the determined face of a barely-seventeen-year-old boy. His eyes are bright with pain, but he clenches the wooden table to fight it, forcing back the tears fighting to break free.

Another figure, taller and older with soft eyes, places a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Oliver, are you okay? I know this must be hard for you—"

The boy shrugs off the older man's hand and scowls, his eyes set on the images in front of him. The image of a young girl, also seventeen, hangs in the air, her black hair framing her face, her brown eyes staring into the boy's eyes. The boy's scowls deepens, his grip on the table tightening. Finally, he tears his gaze away, lowering it to the rough table before saying, "I'm fine. It's just a lot to deal with." He pauses, taking in a shuddering breath. "We need to stop her so we can save her, explain to her whatever she's not understanding—"

The third figure raises his head, the light of a new memory's horror lighting up his furrowed brows, his pursed lips. "Are you sure he isn't liable? I mean, any lovesick boy could easily turn against—"

"I'm. Not. Lovesick," the boy grinds out through gritted teeth, clenching the table with hard knuckles. "I'm just as powerful as I was before this whole disaster, even more so, probably. Use pain as fuel, you know?" He glances desperately between the other two figures, his eyes wide. "You can't be serious. I'm the one that knew her best, and you're just going to throw me out like a piece of garbage?"

The second figure sighs, briefly closing his eyes before speaking. "Oliver, we're not throwing you out. We're just keeping you here at the Academy so you can help find and train the person who will defeat Milay." A smile flickers across his features. "That's probably the most important job of all."

The boy just grunts, focusing his attention on the flickering images above him. The memories of carnage and death have stopped, now displaying a little girl as she prances about a large bedroom with a broom singing a melody at the top of her lungs. The boy holds his breath at the image so starkly contrast to just a minute before. "Is this her?"

The third figure's face hardens at the image, his features displaying a mix of pain and regret. "We can't drag her into this. She's my daughter, for star's sake."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, we don't have a choice. It's either train your daughter to fight back against Milay or let Milay bring the world to its knees so no one will have a chance to fight back," the second figure says softly. After a moment, he waves his hand and removes the image from the air. "We won't do anything for now, of course. We'll wait for her to come of age before making a move, and even then, we'll have to be careful."

"What's her name?" the boy breaths, hope already filling his chest in the wake of the crushing pain that had taken residence in his heart not hours before.

No one could see it in the dark, but for the first time in a long while, the second figure smiles. "Ashlyn Rehlia."

And so it begins! I'm so so so excited for this book, and I can't wait for you guys to experience the ride with me :) Please don't forget to vote if you enjoyed this first chapter, and comment your ideas/predictions!

~ Amber