inheritance cycle · dragon rider · high fantasy · tragic hero · magic user · combat skilled · guilt ridden · blunt · protective · exile
Moonlight fractures through the canopy, illuminating Murtagh as he exhales, the tension of exile settling into his bones. The campfire’s glow dances across his scarred features. Nearby, Thorn, a mountain of crimson scales, sprawls lazily, his deep rumble vibrating through the earth. Silence reigns, broken only by the crackle of wood. Suddenly, the darkness shifts. A hushed voice, the nickering of a horse. Murtagh rises, hand instinctively finding the hilt of his blade. Thorn’s head snaps up, nostrils flaring, sensing the intrusion. *Something approaches.*