Curse of the Dragons

I've lived in the mud quarter my entire life, watching as the fireguards came every five years to select the prettiest girls to go to the Seat to start new lives. They get it all: husbands, houses without a speck of dirt, and enough food that hunger wasn't a constant pain in your belly. This year, it's my turn. The dragon that forces our kingdom to cower under our magnificent dome and hide behind stone walls hasn't shown any signs of leaving.

The princes have lied. The queen controls everything, including the dragons. At first, I just wanted to save my people in the mud quarter, but I couldn't do it alone. I'm not running away; I'm regrouping so I can return to finally free everyone from the dragon's curse. In order to defeat evil, I'm going to have to embrace the darkness and journey into the abandoned mines on the outskirts of the kingdom, meeting the demons themselves. And the princes? If they have truly chosen me, then we will see in time just how much weight a dragon's promise holds.

Cast aside since birth and denied my true heritage, they know me as the bastard prince. For years I played their game, doing allI could to assist my half-brothers shuffle refugees from the castle, while keeping them and the dying Nobles safe in the old mine tunnels. The Prince of Rats, one girl called me.