PROLOGUE

Dragon

Once upon a time, a dragon came over a mountain with a roar, spitting fire so fierce and hot that everything turned to ash in seconds.

Arlette had only stepped away from the porch a few feet to collect things for a dream catcher, specifically seeking the banded feathers of the great horned owl she'd heard in the night. Her daughter napped peacefully on a blanket on the porch, protected at head and foot by the family dogs—shepherd mutts, both of them.

By the time the dragon stomped away, nothing was left of that cabin or three more. Four people and eight pets were killed, and everyone said it was lucky it struck when it did, in the middle of the day, when everyone was out working or seeking work.

It didn't feel lucky to Arlette, who had been chased by the monster into the woods and emerged less than a half hour later to find her life in ashes. Why did it spare her? For what?

How could she bear to go on?