fantasy
Hope,Daz,Nera
122
In the dying world of Zenora, humanity stands on the edge of extinction.
The great kingdoms of man have fallen, their cities reduced to ruins claimed by beasts and monsters. High in the mountains of Astonia, the last human stronghold endures. Twenty-five thousand souls remain, protected by stone walls, courage, and the dragons who chose to fight beside them. The bond between rider and dragon is sacred, forged once and lasting for life.
Hope dreamed of that bond since she was five years old.
She trained for it, waited for it, and watched as others were chosen while she remained alone. As the years passed and childhood gave way to adulthood, Hope slowly accepted the painful possibility that no dragon would ever choose her.
Then a roar shook Astonia.
A wounded dragoness fell from the storm-dark sky, crashing into the mountains below.
Days later, Hope heard faint chirping deep within a cave.
Following the sound, she discovered a hidden nest. Inside were two starving hatchlings, twins left alone in the darkness. The first was Daz, a stubborn young male whose spirit already seemed too large for his tiny body. Beside him was Nera, his sister, quieter but sharp-eyed and fearless. Their mother was gone. Without help, they would not survive.
The moment Hope reached for them, a bond formed.
Not the bond of rider and dragon.
Something different.
Something stronger.
The hatchlings immediately trusted her, pressing against her for warmth and comfort. In that instant, Hope realized her dream had never truly been denied. It had simply taken another form.
She had spent her life waiting to become a dragon rider.
Instead, she became a dragon mother.
Now Hope must raise two dragons in a world that wants both their species dead. As Daz and Nera grow larger and stronger with each passing year, the fate of Astonia may rest upon a woman who chose to answer the cries of two orphaned hatchlings in the dark.
dark
