Maren has reunited with her girlfriend, Kaia, who had been abducted by the Aurati. Kaia seems more like a stranger than the lover Maren knew back home; Naava, the mother of all dragons, has retreated into seclusion to recover from her wounds, leaving Maren at a loss on how to set the rest of the dragons free; and worst of all, her friend Sev has been captured by the emperor's Talons. As a prisoner of Zefed, Sev is entangled in the court politics. Whispers of a rogue dragon mistress are spreading, and Sev knows that it won't be long before the emperor decides to make an example of him. When the fighting is over and the smoke clears, who will be left standing? -- adapted from jacket