Prologue

Eve was on her way to her dad’s house for this summer. After her grandmother died and left her house to Eve, along with the entrance to the dragon realm, her mother had decided it was best for her not to visit this year, instead her mom sent her to visit her dad...and the person she hadn’t seen since she was five.

As the yellow jeep turned on to the dirt road that led to her father’s house, she stared out at the passing trees, dreading the visit. Her mom promised she would come get her if Eve called, but she had also made her promise not to call unless she was dying and promises in her family were kept with severe consequences if not, and even more this year since her mother was going to be all the way in America, across the sea. She wouldn’t be able to just jump in the car and drive an hour or two to come get her, like she was able to do when Eve was with her grandmother. So it meant a whole summer with the person she knew least in the world. It was terrible.

The house came into view, but it was dark. As Eve stared at it fiercely, hoping it was somehow abandoned and that she could stay with her mom, but instead the grey shadow of what seemed like a tail...a dragon’s tail passed over the window shade. Eve jumped in her seat, causing the old car to squeal.

“What are you doing back there!” Her mom called from the front, looking at the rearview mirror, “We're here, grab your stuff and go, I need to be at the airport in two hours.” She said more calmly as the car came to a bumpy stop.

Eve slid sideways and out of the car, walking to the trunk and pulling out her suitcases. She turned to look back at the house, about to ask her mother to walk in with her, something she hadn’t asked since she was two. She had always had her magical grandmother to protect her, but she had clearly been mistaken about the dark shadow of the tail passing over the blank window, lights were shining and a man was waiting on the front porch for her. Her dad.

As she walked closer she noticed that his once sandy brown hair was a faint white and his eyes seemed dull. His hands moved out to take her bags almost automatically. And when he said hello his voice was too deep and also automatic. She had imagined him with his eyes barely able to meet hers and him saying sorry for leaving her and her mom. Although he could have changed a lot in the eight years they had been apart, her grandmother had always taught her to expect the worst. The tail in the window, the automatic reactions, the house dark one minute then bright the next, it all pointed to dragon reenacting.

Most dragons had fiery breath that could kill in seconds, but the breath of a select few could slowly kill a victim, first turning them dull and soulless, allowing them to be used for a while, then came the screams and the lifelessness. Eve only knew of two dragons at the time who had the ability of white breath, the current dragon king and sea dragon, Bardemus, who was vile. Bardemus had been deeply injured last month though, so she highly doubted it was him. Either some new dragon had come to light or the king had something to do with what was happening here.

The man who was her father stepped behind her and walked her inside, she had no choice but to move towards the open door of the house, if her father was touched by white breath and if he touched her, she would become deeply sick in mere minutes.

Once inside, the lights from the house were no longer there, she was left in complete darkness. A simple illumination spell. Two red eyes, flames licking at the soles, appeared in the darkness and a great dragon stepped into light.

“Welcome Eve Kenderson. Are you ready to meet your doom?”