Page 1 of Eluvonia
Fae Prologue
1,476 years after The Creation
The Dragons crave power and are willing to destroy everyone and everything to claim it…
I walk the cobblestone streets of Iryndel, acknowledging Fae and Dragons alike, returning their greetings with a practiced smile. Outwardly, I’m composed—calm, collected. But inside, my mind is a storm.
They have no idea their world hangs by a thread, that everything they know and love is on the brink of collapse.
Minutes ago, I left yet another exhausting council meeting—another round of empty words and veiled threats. The Dragons push harder every day, determined to turn Eluvonia into a military stronghold. They tear down forests, burn fields, strip the land bare to make way for camps and training grounds.
I won’t let that happen. Not after… No. The past is gone. What remains is the Fae, standing alone. The dwarves, humans, wolves—even the merfolk—abandoned Eluvonia years ago, lured away by the Dragons’ empty promises of a brighter future. They fell for the same sweet lies the Dragons now whisper to us. But we Fae stayed. This is our home too, and I will protect it with everything I have.
I stop in front of an old wooden house, its frame sagging with age. The floorboards creak beneath my boots as I step inside, the air thick with the scent of dust and time long forgotten.
“Fredrick?” My voice cuts through the heavy silence. I move carefully through the dim space, the floor groaning with each step. Rounding the corner, I find him in the small sitting area, two armchairs positioned before a low-burning fire.
He sits hunched forward, broad shoulders heavy with the weight of years, hands steepled as he watches the flames. Firelight catches in his silver hair, turning strands to steel.
“Didn’t go well?” he asks, his voice rough, like stone grinding against stone.
I exhale slowly and sink into the chair beside him, elbows on my knees, fingers pressing into my temples. As if I could knead the frustration from my skull.
“No. They’re as stubborn as ever. Not even a glimmer of compromise.”
Fredrick leans back, head tipping against the worn fabric of the chair. His sigh is gravelly, his hands falling limp at his sides. He keeps his gaze on the fire, as if searching for answers in the embers.
“And the others? Have they chosen?”
“Unanimous,” I say, the word bitter on my tongue.
The fire crackles between us, filling the silence with its quiet, insistent voice. When he finally speaks, there’s a warning in his tone.
“You know what this could mean. For all of us.”
I straighten, meeting his gaze. The shifting firelight carves deep lines into his face, a map of sacrifice and regret. “We’ve thought it through. A coup is our only chance to save both our races. The king will drive his people to ruin, trampling over lives if it serves his ambition.”
Fredrick studies me, his sharp eyes narrowing. After a long pause, he nods. “Just the king, then. No one else should pay for his mistakes. We don’t need to rule the Dragon clan—we just need someone who actually cares about their survival.”
“Only the king,” I echo. But the words feel fragile, brittle in my mouth. They’re for him as much as for me—a reassurance against the doubts clawing at my mind.
He watches me for a moment longer, then gives a short nod and waves a hand in dismissal.
I push to my feet, my movements slow and deliberate. The floorboards groan beneath my weight, and the door creaks as I step into the cool evening air. Fredrick has always been my compass, my anchor in the chaos. His approval should steady me. Instead, it only sharpens the weight pressing against my chest.
As I walk through the streets once more, the Fae I pass nod respectfully, their expressions calm and trusting. They see me as a leader. A protector.
My heart twists.
How many of them would still look at me that way if they knew what I was planning? If they knew the blood I might have to spill?
My steps quicken. I make my way back to the Fae council, ready to finalize the plan. One thought pounds like a war drum in my mind:This has to work. It must. Because if it doesn’t… I will never be able to wash the blood from my hands.
Dragons Prologue
1,476 years after The Creation
The Fae betrayed us, pretended to be our friends, our allies…then schemed in secret to take it all
