Prologue

"STOP," SHE ROARED, swooping low over the glimmering turquoise ocean illuminated by the vibrant aurora borealis overhead. "Stay away! Turn around and flee before it's too late!"

Yet she knew he would not.

Knew by his proud stance at the bow of his ship that he would defy her.

Who was he, though? Why did she feel such terror at his vulnerability?

"I will not be able to stop them," she warned as she flew over his square-sailed boat in her serpentine body and swung around. "You must turn. You must flee now!"

"I will not," he fumed, too proud for his own good given his vulnerable human body. "Let them come. Let him come!"

"And they will," she swore, angry at him and fearful for him all at once. "He will."

Almost the moment she said it, a dark line of mighty dragons appeared on the horizon. Massive beasts that would take him away from her forever.

And she would not have that.

Could not allow it to happen.

"No," he roared when she sailed over his ship again, heading toward the line of beasts and certain death. What choice did she have? She could not let harm come to him, and it seemed the time for talk and reasoning had passed.

"No," he roared again, his pain at what she was about to do obvious. "Stop!"

Yet she could not. Would not. Never, if it meant keeping him safe. Anything to keep him out of harm's way. Anything to keep him alive.

Could she at this point, though?

Could she against so many?

Either way, she would die trying.

So she inhaled deeply and released a wall of searing flames at too many dragons to count. Monstrous beasts more than triple her size. Roared fire until her throat burned, and she felt seared from the inside out.

Roared until she could roar no more.

While it slowed some, it didn't slow all of them.

What to do now?

How to save him?

There was but one choice left. Would it work? Was it possible? She had to try. So she turned back, swooped toward his ship, and tried to save him one last time, only for his ship to seem further and further away. Caught in a ring of telling flames.

Then, whoosh, fire combusted everywhere in an explosion of blinding pain.