Of Steel and Scale — Keri Arthur

Once, they hunted the drakkons to near extinction. Now their survival might well depend on them… Princess Bryn Silva, the sole child of Esan's king, is not only soldier-trained but also a Strega witch, gifted with the ability to raise fire and mind speak to animals. After years of tracking the movements of the drakkons, she has formed a tenuous relationship with the biggest of them all—a queen in the prime of her life. On the eve of Bryn's unwanted wedding to Damon Valez, heir to the throne of Zephrine and a powerful blood witch, she ventures out to see the drakkons one last time, only to discover the utter destruction of a remote fishing village on the very edges of East Arleeon, with no evidence left behind on who attacked it or why. Then, on her sea journey home, she senses the mind of an animal unlike any she has ever felt before. It attacks—and sinks—their boat, using weapons made of golden metal feathers that pierce wood and flesh as easily as any sword. When that same enemy attacks Kaia—the queen she has been following—and her drakklings, a desperate alliance based on the need for survival and revenge is formed. But can a Strega witch, who relies on the strength of her flesh to control and destroy with flame, and a drakkon, whose only weapons are tooth and claws, defeat an enemy that is mounted on armored birds and who possess weapons capable of eating through stone and skin with equal ease? Will the husband she hadn't wanted help defend the city, or will the secrets he keeps only add to the danger they face? Can Esan, the mighty fortress that has protected the Eastern regions of Arleeon for eons, survive, or will it finally fall…. and take the drakkons with them?