Prologue - A Knight's Flight

Tira ran. Her chest heaved and her cloak flowed behind her in a flapping mess of red.

She dare not spare the second to glance back over her shoulder, because she knew that the hounds were chasing her. She could hear their hungry barking in her ear drums, bellowing on top of the sound of her heart pounding. Her feet found their ground in the dark night of the forest with strong steps, but she feared the treacherous reach of roots and ground brush, stretching into her path. Still, she raced on.

Her arms tightened around the small, unbelievably sleeping bundle in her arms. Red hair peeked out and blew in the wind as she sped to the end of the forest, to her escape. She could hear rustling and snorting, and she knew she was close. She spotted the dark red scales of Fiera and her limbs seemed to gain new strength. They were going to make it.

She made one last, final leap, and landed with a thud next to the massive dragon. Quickly ensuring that the small baby was strapped securely to her chest, she swung her leg over the side of the faithful creature's neck and held on tightly.

"Iyah! Go!" she screamed. With one snort and a mighty flap of his wings, they were airborne. The barking became distant, and the ground grew smaller as they soared above the clouds, into the stars. Tira breathed deeply and closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them once more to look down at the child in her arms.

Her luminous, magnificent green and gold eyes opened slowly, calmly looking at Tira as if it was the most normal thing in the world, to be in a stranger's arms, flying on the back of a dragon. Her lids dropped down, and she was asleep once more, lulled by the steady beating of the dragon's wings. Tira breathed deeply and shook her head, then murmured "Amazing."

She gazed up at the sky, inhaling the crisp night air. She had no idea what was going to happen when they arrived, but they were going nonetheless. She pulled the baby closer.

"Here's your Goddess, Echelon. I only hope she's nothing you wish her to be."

Chapter 1