Chapter 1 Prologue - Captured By The Dragons

Elara Ravenwood 

“I’ve come home, Dad! Where are you?” I whispered into the phone. The line went dead, and I gaped at the phone. Connectivity had always been a problem in this remote wilderness. But I was desperate to find my dad, Arthur Ravenwood. After summoning me home, where did he disappear? A sense of dread clutched at my heart.

My eyes took in our tidy little cottage, perched on the edge of the human realm of Jarbidge, Nevada, on the banks of the trout-packed Jarbidge River. Surrounded by vibrant aspen trees of the Jarbidge Wilderness, this had been my sweet home until that fateful night last year when terror had struck us. 

I had been away at my Aunt Rosa’s house in the next town of Pole Creek. In my absence, the dragon king, Viktor Zohrran from the Dragon Realm of Zohrran on the other side, had sent his warriors to attack us. His shaman, Drakos, had informed him about his mate, and he kidnapped Zara, my older sibling. It was absolutely absurd! The dragons never disturbed the inhabitants of the human realm. How could the Dragon King have a human mate?

Our father fought for Zara, but they were too powerful for him. They took her away to a world we were barred from entering. 

When I returned home, everything was over. That night snatched away my older sister Zara and my peace of mind. Five years apart, we were opposites in every aspect: nature, outlook, and appearance. While she was cunning, syrupy sweet, stunning and vain, Elara had always been wild, untamed, and a rebel to the core. Her absence had broken our family beyond repair.

It had been a year since we had seen her. There had been no update about her for a year. My father was shattered. He sent me away forever to ‌my aunt’s house to hide. I would have been there, but his frantic call two hours ago forced me to return. What was the urgency?

The sun had just set, and the cold, dry wind howled around me. I had to find my father. 

I frowned at my home, bathed in darkness. Why hadn’t my father switched on the lights? With every step I took towards the front door, a sense of dread crept into my heart. I could sense that something was wrong. My father was a teacher at the only primary school in Jarbidge. He usually stayed up late correcting notebooks. 

Just then, a movement nearby alerted me, and I froze. The dry leaves beneath the aspen trees rustled. What was my father doing there? Why was he hiding? 

I took a step toward him. “Dad?”

There was no answer. My fingers tightened around my phone as I slowly turned toward the darkness. The Jarbidge River rushed somewhere behind the cottage, its familiar sound suddenly seeming too loud. 

Then I saw a shadow move between the trees, and my heart lurched. “Dad, is that you?”

The figure stepped out, followed by six others. I gaped at the tall men dressed in black leather armor standing beneath the trees, their faces hard and unfamiliar. Strange symbols glowed faintly along their necks and hands, like fire trapped beneath their skin. I knew those symbols. They belonged to the dragon shifters of the Dragon Realm of Zohrran. 

Dragons! Why were they here?

The phone slipped from my fingers. “No,” I breathed. “What do you want? Where’s my father, Arthur Ravenwood?”

One of them stepped forward and glared down at me. He was enormous, with long dark hair and eyes that glimmered like molten gold in the darkness. “Are you his daughter?” 

I frowned at him and nodded. “Yes. I’m Elara Ravenwood. Who are you? What have you done to my father?”

His gaze hardened as he regarded me closely. “I’m Commander-in-Chief Severin of the Dragon Realm of Zohrran. Our king commands your presence. Come with us.”

I staggered backward in fear. “No, you took my sister a year ago. I want to see her.”

Just then, the door to our cottage flew open, and two tall dragon warriors shoved a few prisoners out. I gasped at the sight of my father, injured and bound, staggering towards me. His face was bruised beyond recognition, and blood stained the side of his shirt. What had they done to him? Behind him were the sheriff and members of the community association, all tied up and prodded forward like prisoners. 

“Dad...” I gasped, rushing towards him. 

But in a swift motion, Severin blocked my path. “One more step forward and you will face our king’s fury.”

I stepped backward in fear, avoiding a collision. 

“Don’t hurt my daughter! She’s innocent. I’ll go with you in her place,” yelled my father, his panic-stricken voice echoing around the still forest. 

“You have betrayed our king. It’s time to face his punishment.” The look on Severin’s face killed all hope of mercy. 

“Punishment for what? What have we ever done to you? Where’s my sister, Zara? What have you done to her? Didn’t you take her with you last year?” Rage replaced my fear, and my chest heaved with hatred for the dragon king. 

The warriors stared down at me. Another one approached me, his golden eyes narrowing on me. “Your sister has fled the Dragon Realm with the King’s brother. She was never our king’s mate. Where have you hidden her? You’ll pay the price for betraying our king. He doesn’t tolerate betrayal.”

My father staggered on his feet, his face crumpled and pale as a sheet. “We haven’t seen Zara since you took her away. How have we betrayed you? Did you kill my daughter?” My father looked deathly pale, beads of perspiration forming on his forehead. 

“No, she escaped, and our king is furious. Return her to us, and we’ll leave.” Severin gripped my father’s throat with fury.

“She hasn’t come home. Please believe me. We have no hand in her escape.” My father stammered, his words almost incoherent now. 

I rushed forward to save him. His heart condition hasn’t been stable since Zara’s abduction last year. “Please let him go. I swear we haven’t seen her in a year.” I clasped my hands to beg him. 

Severin tightened his hold, not believing a word I said. “Come with me and explain that to our king.” 

I was desperate to save my father. After Zara’s disappearance, I had no one in the world except him. I couldn’t afford to lose him. “Yes, I’ll go with you. Just spare his life, please.”

My father gave me a desperate look as his eyes bulged and he gasped for breath. “D-don’t g-go, Elara!” 

“Let go of him,” I wept desperately. “I’ll do anything you say.”

Satisfied, Severin released my father’s neck, and he crumpled to the ground. I rushed to his side and cradled his head against my chest. “Dad, open your eyes.” I looked at the sheriff. “Please take him to the hospital.” 

Dad opened his heavy eyes and caught my arm, his breathing erratic and heavy. “Elara, don’t be scared. Take care of yourself. Look for your sister. Be happy wherever you are.” His breathing stopped, and his eyes closed as he crumpled against me. I stared at his limp body in my arms. 

“Dad, what happened to you?” I patted his cheek desperately but failed to revive him. Realization hit me hard. I was an orphan now. The dragons had destroyed my family: my sister and my father. Grief struck me hard as I held onto my father desperately.

I hated them with a vengeance. 

“Deputy Commander Magnus, let’s go,” growled Severin. “Handle her.”

Two hands gripped my shoulders and pulled me up. I jerked backward with every ounce of strength I possessed. The warrior released my shoulders only to grab me around the waist.

Panic shot through my heart. “Stop! I can’t leave my father in this state.” 

Severin stood with a disdainful look in his eyes. “Your father’s dead. I’m sure they know what to do with him. Do you want our king to come looking for you?” 

I stood still, watching my father’s lifeless body lying on the ground. He was really dead, and I couldn’t even arrange his funeral! Tears stung ‌my eyes, streaming down my face. Why did the dragons destroy my family? What had we ever done to them?

The sheriff and his men panicked. They knew what messing with the Dragon King meant. “Please go, Elara. We’ll handle your father’s funeral. We can’t afford anymore destruction to our peaceful town.” 

My heart didn’t want to, but I had no choice. One by one, the warriors stepped forward. My breath caught as their bodies transformed. Bones shifted with a series of sickening cracks. Their shoulders broadened, their bodies expanded, and dark scales erupted across their skin. Within moments, the men who had surrounded me were gone, replaced by enormous dragons. Their magnificent wings unfurled, covered in crimson-red scales that glinted beneath the pale moonlight. Their golden eyes burned fiercely in the darkness, and their massive claws dug into the earth.

I stood frozen, staring at them in disbelief. I had seen dragons before, but never this close.

Magnus lowered his enormous body before me. He pulled me onto his back. “Hold on.”

I stared at his broad, scaled back, and my heart pounded with fear. 

With trembling hands, I climbed onto his back and barely had time to find my balance before his wings spread wide. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck. He launched himself into the sky, and a terrifying scream tore from my throat.

The ground dropped away beneath me so quickly that my stomach lurched. My father’s still body, the cottage, the river, the trees, everything became smaller with every powerful beat of his wings.

I clung to him for dear life, pressing myself against his warm, scaly back as the freezing wind whipped through my hair. 

Jarbidge, my home became smaller, and as the familiar human realm vanished behind me, one horrifying realization settled deep inside my soul.

Zara had escaped the Dragon King.

And now, I was about to take the punishment for her.