The Dragon Who Wouldn’t Kneel

Oriana has thirty days to prove that the frail hatchling hidden in her apron deserves to live. In the High Imperial Weyr, dragons are tested, collared, and broken for the nobility—and Lord Gideon, the ruthless Dragonmaster, means to see the runt destroyed. A dusty clause in the Founding Codex buys Oriana one chance: bring Pip before the court’s greatest trial. But as strange magic stirs around the hatchling, Gideon’s certainty begins to crack. When the Empire demands obedience, what will Oriana risk to protect the dragon who refuses to bow?