Ever since the ash dragon Kavariel killed her sister, fourteen-year-old Carine has hated dragons and the magic they bring. Every year she endures the Festival when the dragon delivers his flame to the capital city of Esten. The dragon's flame is powerful. It kills, but also provides magic that keeps the Heartless Ones at bay. Until this year, when the dragon doesn't come. Instead, a Heartless One enters Esten and threatens the safety of Carine's family and beloved city. Forced to leave her parents behind, she joins forces with two princes and sets off on a death-defying journey to save all she holds dear. But when restoring her home means confronting the magic and dragons she has come to hate, and when unraveled secrets threaten to destroy the world she is trying to save, Carine's only hope is in her enemy...