An Altogether-Curious Altercation

Someone has been kidnapping young adults from all over the Realm. That someone appears to be a golden dragon... and he appears to have settled in at the appropriately named Dragon Mountain in Wave province. Karana, along with Kefen and Ivan, have been detailed by the Lord of Wave, Karana's foster-uncle (or is he?), to handle the situation. It's part of what knights of the Realm are trained to do, after all. There's only a few problems... Kefen has sworn an oath to aid any dragon he comes across. Ivan has dedicated to himself to the service of the Silver Dragon Goddess. And Karana herself had been fascinated by dragons since she was a child. To solve this situation, the three Companions - and soul-bonded beloveds - will not only have to confront dragons, and the very Muse of the Realm, but who they are... and who they think they are. ******** This epic fantasy begins the next Knightess of the Realm mini-series: The Secrets of Dragon Mountain. Explore the mysterious connections between Magick and Economics, Empire and Ethics, Love... and Dragons! ******** Teaser: Her ring - the Queen's Ring of Taridawil that Kefen had given her for their engagement - twitched. Distractedly, she rubbed at it with her other hand. And it bit her. Alarmed, Karana held up her hand in time to see the tiny golden dragon take flight, followed by a similar silver one. They dove for the caldera at the top of Dragon Mountain, dipped and cavorted around the top. The silver one settled in at the top and the gold one went skimming down to the lower slopes, scooped up a tiny bit of sand, and flew back up. Kefen's arm slid around her. "You see it, too?" she asked faintly. He nodded. Ivan, seated on the other side, exclaimed as the tiny golden dragon flew around his side of the mountain, and scrambled to his feet. "Karana! Is that what I think it is?" "My ring," she confirmed. "The Queen's Ring," Kefen murmured. "It was said to have magick woven into its making. Though I never heard that it ever did anything magickal." Well, besides the tiny golden dragon having somehow wrapped itself around the slender silver band sprinkled with infinitesimal diamonds that had been part of Ivan's proposal to her as soon as the two had both been placed on her hand. "The one you gave me is gone, too," she told Ivan. "It... seemed to grow wings and fly off as well. There it is!"