To the commonfolk of Aetheria, the monarchy are the stuff of legends, descendants of the Uniter. To the lesser nobles, they stand as bastions of courage and political skill, deftly balancing the concerns of the people and the country. High Princess Amalia strives to live up to both expectations, forging herself into a Queen that her nation will one day be proud of. A hard task for any young woman, but for one blinded at birth, nearly impossible. Approaching her seventeenth year, and finding her worth under scrutiny from all corners, Amalia learns a devastating truth – dragons, the fabled foes of her ancestors, have returned. To defend her people and her kingdom, every last one must be destroyed…but her convictions are shaken when she discovers that they are not the unthinking beasts of her nation’s collective nightmares, but intelligent creatures much like herself. Amalia must uncover the secrets hidden in the shadows if she is to avert a war that could end in the deaths of everyone she holds dear. But some truths may be better left buried…