But none of those things were the reason her heart sank.
Beside her, Orergon and Vehel also reached them and drew to a halt.
“By the Gods,” Vehel exclaimed.
Dela clamped her hand to her mouth, not knowing what to say.
The valley was made of the same black volcanic rock as they’d just climbed, but it wasn’t pure black. Embedded into the rock were swathes of white—lines and circles, all intricately joined together.
“Skeletons,” she breathed.
They were looking down on numerous giant skeletons. From the shape of their massive heads, with their deadly, sharp teeth still in place, down to the long line of their tails. She could even make out the huge, delicate bones of their wings, the skin and tendons that held them together long since disintegrated.
A strong hand wrapped around her fingers and she managed to tear her eyes away from the scene before her to see Warsgra looking down at her. “I’m so sorry, Dela.”
She’d been expecting to find live dragons, but instead she saw only skeleton after skeleton of dragons as far as the eye could see. The rumors had been right. They had been wiped out all those years ago.
The valley shimmered in her vision as her eyes filled with tears.
“They’re all dead,” she managed, speaking past the painful lump that had formed in her throat. “Just like everyone has always believed. This whole thing has been for nothing.”
What had she expected? That she really was someone different, that she’d be able to change Xantearos and bring everyone together? Why? Because she had strange dreams and a ring other people couldn’t touch. Because she’d been fed a pipedream by a Fae she’d only met for a matter of hours.
She tugged her fingers from Warsgra’s grip and covered her face with her hands. “I can’t believe I’ve been so stupid. All of this, it’s been for nothing. I’m so sorry I put you all through this. By the Gods, we almost lost Orergon!”
“It hasn’t been for nothing, Dela,” Orergon said. “It’s brought all of us together. You can’t say that it means nothing.”
She shook her head, her face still in her hands. “That’s not what I meant. I thought I was going to be able to make a difference in the way everyone lives.” She lifted her face from her hands and gave a cold laugh. “I thought I might somehow be able to stop The Choosing. I thought there would be no more Passovers, and that we wouldn’t keep losing people the same way we lost Ridley and Layla and so many others.”
“Maybe there’s still a way,” Vehel said, lifting his chin and looking out across the valley and the numerous dragon skeletons. “It might not be this way, but we can still try.”
She shook her head. “How? Four voices among thousands. How is anyone going to notice us?”
He fixed her with those pale blue eyes. “I don’t know, but we can try. It’s only over if we give up.”
A sob escaped her throat. “But we have so many miles to travel to get home. We were already so far away from the south, and now we have to turn around and retrace our steps. There are so many dangers. What if one of us or more doesn’t make it?
“Then we’ll keep fighting,” Orergon said, lifting his voice against the wind, “the same way we have on this whole journey, and we’ll take care of each other. It’s the only thing we can do.” He reached out and swiped the tears from her face with the pad of his thumb.
She caught his hand and kissed his palm “Thank you, Orergon. Thank you, all of you. I’m sorry it was all for nothing.”
“Stop saying that,” he chided.
Warsgra’s deep voice suddenly sounded. “Hey. What’s that?”
The Norc was looking down at the ground, a frown on his face.
Dela sniffed. “What?”
“It’s a rock. But it looks the same as the one in Dela’s ring.”
“Dragonstone?” Her interest had been piqued, and her tears dried as quickly as they had arrived.
Warsgra bent to pick up the stone, but he snatched back his hand, hissing air in over his teeth in pain. “Aye, that’s the same stone.” He held out his big hand to display the blisters already forming.
Dela took a couple of steps to bring her at Warsgra’s side and looked down at the stone. It did look the same—black with red swirls, and shiny. She reached to the back of her neck and untied the leather cord, letting the ring drop into the palm of her hand. Then she knelt and held the ring beside the larger piece of stone on the ground. “Yes, it’s definitely the same.”
Her heart thumped, her pulse racing. Everything else fell away around her—Orergon, and Warsgra, and Vehel. The surrounding fire mountains and even the valley filled with the massive skeletons of the long dead dragons. Somehow she knew this would be the turning point, that when she picked up this stone and held it in her palm, everything would change.
Dizzy with fear and anticipation, she scooped up the rock and cradled it in her hand.
She held her breath, waiting, though she wasn’t sure what for.
Still, nothing happened.
She turned to look at the others, and they all gave a gasp of shock,
“What?” she said. “What’s wrong?”
“Dela, your eyes,” Vehel said.
“They’re glowing red,” Orergon added.
She lifted her hand, as though placing her fingers beside them would mean she could see them.
“I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t feel any different—”
A sudden screech came from the distance, across the other side of the valley. She’d never heard a sound like it before, somehow ancient, bloodthirsty, and beautiful, all at the same time. It echoed around the valley, bouncing from the volcanic walls, sending her heart racing. She sensed the others tense, and Warsgra pulled his axe from its holder. The others followed suit, Vehel lifting his bow from his back and pulling an arrow from his quiver, while Orergon withdrew his spear and stood, one foot forward, preparing himself for attack.
“Put the weapons away,” she said. “He mustn’t think we’re the enemy.”
She held her breath, her gaze searching the skyline.
The haunting screech came again, drawing her line of sight to the east.
The dragon appeared, rising from beyond the peaks, its great wings flapping slowly to lift its massive body higher. Its scales were an emerald green, but glinted blues and purples in the low light, like oil shining on the surface of a pond. Twin horns protruded from the top of its head, and spikes ran down the sides of its face, growing larger as they continued down its neck and back. Its long throat stretched out as it flew, its tail streaming out behind it.
In her palm, the Dragonstone grew hotter, though it didn’t burn her skin. Instinctively, she knew if she handed the Dragonstone over to one of the others, their skin would rise in a blister within seconds. She could feel the others staring at her, and knew her eyes were burning bright with the power of the stone.
Suddenly, the valley and the fire mountain vanished, and she was spiraling, her mind vanishing down a black hole. She was flying again, but instinctively she knew her feet were still on the ground. This wasn’t like before, where she felt like she was present in the moment. No, this time she was seeing something already gone by. These were the dragon’s memories she was witnessing, rather than flying with him and seeing through his eyes.
Though they were a thousand miles away, on the other side of the country, she found herself looking down on her home city of Anthoinia. The streets were mapped out below her, a labyrinth of alleys and lanes. But the streets were not peaceful. No, it was chaos. People shouting. Families running and hiding.
And in the city square, armies were being gathered.
She saw it all from above, looking down, and understood exactly what it meant. News of what had happened in the Southern Pass had got back to King and Queen Crowmere. They knew the treaty had been broken, and now they were preparing for war.
Dela’s eyes flew open, though she hadn’t even realized she’d shut them, and
her fist unclenched. The Dragonstone fell from her palm and onto the blackened, rocky ground.
Warsgra, Vehel, and Orergon stared, wide-eyed, between her and the dragon now swooping across the valley.
The dragon landed in the middle of the valley, among the skeletons of his ancestors. Was he the last one, or were there more? He tucked his wings in, and then lifted his head high, stretching out his long neck, and when he opened his mouth, a billow of smoke and flames burst out.
“What did you see, Dela?” Vehel asked, his voice breathy with amazement. “We know you saw something.”
She turned to them, wishing she had different news to deliver. They’d done so much to bring her to this point, but she feared it simply wasn’t enough.
“We’re too late to stop it,” she blurted.
Orergon frowned at her. “To stop what?”
She looked between them all, taking in the sight of each of their expressions—worried, anxious, and a little hopeful, though that hope was misplaced. She cared about each of them and feared for what lay ahead.
“The Second Great War,” she said eventually. “It has already begun.”
Cast of Characters
The Humans
The humans have the highest population of Xantearos, having taken claim to most of the Eastern coast. Their main area of residence is the capital city of Anthoinia, though some humans do live outside of the city walls.
King and Queen Crowmere: rulers of the City of Anthoinia and the Eastern Coast of Xantearos.
Philput Glod: The head of the City Guard.
Dela Stonebridge: One of the Chosen. Carries a dagger made of Elvish steel.
Ridley Stonebridge: Older brother of Dela Stonebridge.
Layla Whatley: Dela Stonebridge’s best friend.
Johanna Stonebridge: Dela Stonebridge’s mother.
Godfrey Stonebridge: Dela Stonebridge’s father
Brer Stidrisk: Young man at school with Ridley Stonebridge.
Wayneguard Norton: Older man, bearded. Heads up the group of the Chosen.
Ellyn Rudge: Older woman who is part of the Chosen.
The Elvish
Blessed with the ability to magic, they’re no longer allowed to use magic as signed in the Treaty. The Elvish live in a mountainous region in the South of the country called The Inverlands. They don’t eat meat, but do eat fish.
King and Queen Dawngleam: Rulers of the Elvish Kingdom of The Inverlands
Vehel Dawngleam: Youngest son of the king and queen of the Elvish
Vanthum Dawngleam: Middle son of the king and queen of the Elvish
Vehten Dawngleam: Oldest son of the king and queen of the Elvish
Ehlark, Folwin, Athtar, and Ivran: Elvish riders sent to accompany Vehel Dawngleam during the journey to the Southern Pass and the Passover.
The Moerians
Made up of several tribes of people, they live in the Vast Plains. Excellent hunters, skilled on horseback and with weapons of most kinds.
Orergon Ortiz: Leader of his tribe and tasked with the journey to the Southern Pass.
Aswor and Kolti: Tribesmen of Orergon, traveling with Orergon to the Passover.
The Norcs
Living along the side of the Great Diving Range in an area known as the Southern Trough, the Norcs live in clans. They are meat-eaters, and strong fighters.
Warsgra Tuskeye: Leader of his clan of the Norcs.
Jultu Leafwalker: Warsgra’s right hand man.
The Fae
A race thought to be extinct, they live in the north, outside of the rules of the Treaty. They also have the ability to do magic, and continue to do so, despite the Treaty.
Nimbus Darkbriar: Leader of the Fae village in the north
Cirrus Fleetfoot: Member of the Fae village in the north
Afterword
Like what you’ve read? Book two in The Chronicles of the Four will be coming to you at the end of June. Make sure you sign up to Marissa Farrar’s Reverse Harem newsletter to stay updated about the new release!
Acknowledgments
I’ve wanted to write a fantasy novel for some time now. When I first started writing, it was in the horror and dark fantasy genre, but over time the fantasy morphed to paranormal romance, and then the paranormal romance morphed to contemporary romance. I’ve always loved the darker side of things, however, and when the idea came to me of combining the trope of Reverse Harem with fantasy, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in!
As always, I had my team of amazing people around me to help! Thank you to Anika Willmanns of Ravenborn Covers for the amazing cover for this book. I bought it as a pre-made and it fit the story perfectly! Thank you to my editor Lori Whitwam, for being flexible toward my ever changing plans of which story to write next! And thank you to my proofreaders, Tammy of BookNookNuts, Karey McComish, Linda Helme, and my lovely mum, Glynis Elliott, who said Through a Dragon’s Eyes was the best thing I’d written (I hope she was right!).
And finally, thank you to you, the reader, for continuing to read my stories.
Thanks for reading!
Marissa. XXX
About the Author
Marissa Farrar has always been in love with being in love. But since she's been married for numerous years and has three young daughters, she's conducted her love affairs with multiple gorgeous men of the fictional persuasion.
The author of more than thirty novels, she has been a full time author for the last six years. She predominantly writes paranormal romance and fantasy, but has branched into contemporary fiction as well.
If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website. You can also find her at her facebook page, or follow her on twitter.
She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at [email protected] and to stay updated on all her new Reverse Harem books, just sign up to her newsletter!
Also by the Author
The Blood Courtesans Vampire Romance:
Stolen
The Serenity Series:
Alone (free first novel of the series!)
Buried
Captured
Dominion
Endless
THE COMPLETE SERIES BOXED SET
The Dhampyre Chronicles:
Twisted Dreams
Twisted Magic
The Spirit Shifters Series:
Autumn’s Blood (free first novel)
Saving Autumn
Autumn Rising
Autumn’s War
Avenging Autumn
Autumn’s End
THE COMPLETE SERIES BOXED SET
The Monster Trilogy
Defaced
Denied
Delivered
Contemporary Fiction Novels
No Second Chances
Dirty Shots
Cut Too Deep
Survivor
The Sound of Crickets
Dark Fantasy/horror novels:
Underlife
The Dark Road
THROUGH A DRAGON’S EYES
Chronicles of the Four
Book One
Copyright © 2018 Marissa Farrar
Warwick House Press
Edited by Lori Whitwam
Cover art by Ravenborn Designs
License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.
Publisher’s Note
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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