I looked at the etching of the Ancient Fae queen, and I couldn’t understand why this story sounded familiar. Illaria Lightbringer was a name I had never heard before, but somehow, I knew I had to find out more about her.
“Avalonia was plunged into chaos,” Tristan continued, “until Auraken Firedrake arose—a fae-mage with unimaginable magic equal to that of the ancients—and saved our world. But the rest of the fae lands, south of the Old Forest—a whole civilization once lush and prosperous with a huge population of fae—are now a wasteland, an ancient world destroyed by the darkness of Dragath.”
“What happened to Illaria Lightbringer?”
“The legends say Illaria fought alongside Auraken in the final battle. She used up the last of her ancient magic to save Auraken so he could defeat Dragath. The mages tend to leave her out of the stories. They want Avalonia to forget the Ancient Fae and the powers they once possessed, but the High Fae still remember Illaria Lightbringer and the great ancient dynasty of Eos-Eirendil. She is the real hero of this world. If not for her, Auraken Firedrake would never have been able to overcome the darkness.”
Illaria Lightbringer was a true queen, a legendary hero, giving her life to save this world. The thought gave me hope. If I could be half as courageous as her I could be a great queen.
“After Dragath fell,” Tristan went on, “Illaria disappeared, and the last of the ancient magic left this world forever. No one knows what actually happened in those final days, but she was last seen riding into battle on the back of a dragon.”
My eyes went wide, and I could feel them lighting up. “Are there dragons in Avalonia?”
“Not anymore.” Tristan shook his head and moved over to the opposite wall. “When ancient magic disappeared from this world, so did the dragons.” He held up his hand and his light fell on a lifelike etching of a dragon’s head. Parts of the original colors were still visible, and I could see purple scales glistening as the fae light illuminated the fresco. The dragon’s eyes seemed to glow with an unearthly radiance as I moved closer, running my fingers over the magnificent work of art.
“Where are they now?”
Tristan shrugged. “No one has seen a dragon in over five thousand years. The legends say the dragons were powerful, immortal creatures born with their own powers. They were also very intelligent and greatly knowledgeable about ancient magic. They were once our greatest allies and fought beside the fae in the Demon Wars.”
Tristan moved away from the wall and the ancient paintings retreated into the shadows.
“I thought dragons were dangerous creatures,” I said as we walked back to the main library.
“They are,” said Tristan, “very dangerous. But there was a time when a few rare Ancient Fae could speak to them with their minds and summon them to our aid in times of need. Dragons cannot resist the call of a powerful Dragonlord; even if they don’t want to help, they have no choice. Normally dragons didn’t interfere in the wars of the world except when called upon or summoned by a Dragonlord.”
“So why can’t we call them to help us?” I asked, my mind whirling with the possibilities of dragons. “We need to find a Dragonlord to help us.”
Tristan shook his head. “There are no Dragonlords left in Avalonia. Illaria Lightbringer was the last of them. Many have tried to summon a dragon over the years but failed. There is no one with that kind of power anymore, and no dragons are left to call to our aid.”
My heart was heavy; if Illaria Lightbringer could not defeat Dragath, even with the help of dragons, I knew I never could. So I had to make sure the Book of Abraxas was not opened and Dragath never released. Because if Dragath ever returned to this world, that would be a battle we could never win.
Not without ancient magic.
I had to find the Dawnstar. It was our only hope, and time was running out.
The Fae Codex
The weeks that followed were filled with training from dawn till dusk and sometimes late into the night. In the evenings Tristan and I would run in the valley and the hills outside the city, and I would return exhausted with barely enough energy to eat and portal myself to my room.
It had been a little over a month since I arrived in Elfi, and not a day went by that I didn’t think of Rafe, Uncle Gabriel, and the rest of my friends and family. I had asked my grandmother and Rhiannon about them a few times, but no one seemed to have any answers. I had no idea what was happening in Eldoren, and I needed to get back to help them. But I was not done here. Not by a long shot. I still had so much to learn and so little time to do it.
Tristan continued to train me, but as soon as the training sessions were over, he left. The conversation in the catacombs was our only one. Skye never asked me to go out again. I started to feel so alone, with no one to talk to and no real friends. Even Snow had gone away to see her family and wouldn’t be back for a while.
When I was in my room, I read what I could and studied the books the dowager had chosen for me. But slowly all the confidence I had gathered so far began to disappear. I missed my friends, Vivienne and Kalen; I missed Rafe and Erien, and Uncle Gabriel and Aunt Serena. I missed my old friend Penelope Plumpleberry and her appropriate advice, there whenever I needed it. Now I was alone,
