Dragon Blood

A thousand years have passed since a dragon has been seen in the world. Science and technology have replaced magic, which has dwindled until it has become little more than an element of myth and legend. There are those who still have dragon blood flowing through their veins, distant descendants of the mighty creatures of old. These rare humans have the power to cast magic, the power to heal, and the power to craft alchemical weapons capable of starting wars...or ending them.

Everyone knows dragons have been extinct for over 1,000 years. Everyone is wrong. At least one dragon remains, and military scientists from the Cofah Empire are experimenting with its blood, using the magical substance to power deadly new weapons that could be used to bring the world to its knees. That's a concern for Zirkander, Cas, and the rest of the Iskandians, but all Tolemek wants is to find his missing sister.

Ridge, Sardelle, and their comrades may have rescued Tolemek's sister and freed the dragon, but trouble awaits at home. The king is missing, a secret organization is hunting sorcerers, and the capital is more vulnerable than ever to enemy attack. Worst of all, at least from Ridge's point of view, someone put that jackass Colonel Therrik in charge of the flier battalion.

Captain Astuawilda Kaika is an elite forces soldier, a demolitions expert, and a woman who loves secret missions. She most certainly isn't someone with the patience to teach General Zirkander's raw cadets how to survive encounters with the enemy. Certain she's been given this duty as a punishment, she confronts her superiors, only to find out that King Angulus himself gave her the assignment.

Responsible for her friend's death, Lieutenant Caslin Ahn wants nothing more than to be left alone. She no longer deserves the company of comrades or the fulfillment she felt as a Wolf Squadron fighter pilot. But a summons from the king leaves her with no choice but to rejoin her teammates. An ancient evil has been unleashed, bringing death and destruction to the nation, and they are the only ones with a chance of stopping it.

It's been a week since the dragon Morishtomaric fell, and Sardelle is not convinced that Ridge is truly gone. With a companion who thinks he's a god and a soldier who would happily kill her, she heads back to the mountains to look for signs that Ridge survived. What they uncover threatens to destroy their country and all they care about.

Professor Lilah Zirkander is looking forward to a summer in the paleontology lab, researching and cataloging new fossils. But that summer takes an unexpected turn when the king sends her into the Ice Blades to a secret mine where ancient dragon bones have been discovered. Rumor has it that they're cursed and dangerous, but Lilah is more concerned about dealing with the outpost commander, a fierce officer with the temperament of a crabby badger.

General Ridgewalker Zirkander is getting married. Sardelle - the woman who’s battled dragons, shamans, and countless enemy soldiers at his side - has accepted his proposal, and it’s the perfect time for a wedding. It’s been two months since any dragons or sorceresses attacked the city, the Cofah haven’t come after their kidnapped emperor, and King Angulus has stopped yelling at Ridge for his inadvertent role in destroying the castle.