Talons of Power

Set in a world where dragon tribes with distinct abilities inhabit the continent of Pyrrhia, this novel follows Turtle, a SeaWing prince hiding a secret: He is an animus dragon, one whose magic can enchant objects to do his bidding. A prologue set three years earlier establishes the source of Turtle's deep shame. As a two-year-old, he volunteered to fetch help when his father Gill found a guard gravely ill in the Royal Hatchery, where SeaWing princess eggs were incubating. Turtle failed to find the deputy in time, and both eggs were crushed. Gill blamed Turtle harshly, and Queen Coral, Turtle's mother, ordered both guards executed. The experience convinced Turtle he was useless, and he abandoned his secret dreams of heroism.

The main narrative opens as Darkstalker, a legendary NightWing animus trapped underground for two thousand years, erupts from Jade Mountain after another dragon accidentally freed him. Darkstalker possesses mind-reading abilities, prophetic visions, animus magic, and invulnerable scales. Terrified, Turtle enchants a broken stick to erase his existence from Darkstalker's awareness entirely. His companions, including Moon (a NightWing with mind-reading and prophecy powers), Qibli (a clever SandWing), Winter (an IceWing prince), and Peril (a SkyWing whose scales burn everything they touch), cautiously engage with Darkstalker, but Turtle notices that Winter's attitude shifts suspiciously fast from hostility to trust. Qibli sends Turtle ahead to warn Jade Mountain Academy.

At the school, Turtle tries to convince his younger sister Anemone, a known animus dragon, to flee. Anemone refuses, thrilled to meet another animus. When Darkstalker arrives, she makes a dramatic entrance, controlling the weather with enchanted armbands and displaying her power. Darkstalker declares she is exactly who he was looking for.

Turtle spies from hiding as Darkstalker performs conspicuous good deeds: healing a SkyWing student's scarred face, creating talismans to protect his and Anemone's souls from the corrupting effects of animus magic, and granting real powers to NightWing students. He also identifies Flame, a hostile SkyWing student, as the darkness of dragons and the stalker of dreams from Moon's prophecy after Flame tries to murder Stonemover, an elderly NightWing animus living in the mountain.

That evening, Qibli asks Turtle to enchant his earring to make him immune to Darkstalker's spells. After putting it on, Qibli confirms that a calm trusting feeling about Darkstalker has vanished, proving everyone is under a charm spell. Before Turtle can protect himself, Darkstalker appears, having sensed the magic. Turtle realizes Darkstalker can detect whenever animus magic is used, meaning Turtle can never cast another spell without risking exposure. Turtle shows Qibli his animus-touched objects, including a food-doubling bowl and a pair of enchanted slates for written communication, gives Qibli one of the slates, and agrees to follow Darkstalker to the rainforest.

In the NightWing village, Darkstalker challenges Queen Glory, the RainWing who rules both the RainWing and NightWing tribes, for the NightWing throne. Glory proposes a compromise: NightWings who wish to follow Darkstalker may leave freely. Darkstalker agrees but spends time winning the tribe over, granting superpowers to individual NightWings and promising more on the journey to the old Night Kingdom, the tribe's abandoned ancestral homeland. When Turtle warns Glory, she reacts with puzzling trust and indifference, confirming that every dragon who meets Darkstalker falls under his charm spell.

Turtle locates Kinkajou, a RainWing and close friend, still unconscious from earlier injuries. He persuades Anemone to heal Kinkajou by enchanting the skyfire rock, a stone that blocks mind reading, in Kinkajou's pouch. At that exact moment, Turtle silently adds his own spell to the same rock, making Kinkajou immune to Darkstalker's magic and invisible to his awareness. Anemone then adds, without Turtle's consent, a love spell forcing Kinkajou to love Turtle, which he cannot undo without removing the protection keeping Kinkajou safe. Kinkajou wakes and, unaffected by Darkstalker's charm, immediately identifies him as dangerous.

Darkstalker warns Glory of incoming assassins and grows a massive prison from an enchanted branch. He captures four of five attackers, including Fierceteeth, sister of Starflight, the academy's blind NightWing librarian, and claims he killed the fifth. He takes Fierceteeth as his lieutenant. That night, Turtle secretly follows Darkstalker to the Night Kingdom ruins, where the ancient dragon weeps alone, mourning his lost love Clearsight and revealing he is immortal and sees only slaves and soldiers in his future.

Darkstalker leads the vast majority of the NightWing tribe from the rainforest. Barely 50 remain with Glory, including Moon, who refuses Darkstalker's personal plea to join him. Turtle, Kinkajou, and Moon follow the departing tribe at a distance. At the Night Kingdom, Anemone grows jealous of Darkstalker's attention to Moon and enchants a mop to attack her. When Darkstalker catches her, he freezes Moon and Kinkajou so they cannot witness the confrontation; Kinkajou, immune, mimics the frozen state. Darkstalker banishes Anemone, telling her to kill Queen Coral and take the SeaWing throne.

Turtle races after Anemone, terrified that Darkstalker may have enchanted his words to function as commands. A flashback reveals that at age four, during the Talons of Power ceremony that tests dragonets for animus ability, Turtle secretly cast a spell making Anemone an animus so the tribe would discover her instead of him. At the Deep Palace, the SeaWing royal underwater palace, Queen Coral reveals that the guard Turtle was sent to find as a two-year-old had secretly left that day, making his failure inevitable. Coral puts a wing around Turtle and asks his name, promising to remember it.

Turtle tracks Anemone to the Island Palace, an ancient SeaWing royal island, where she has dug up an enchanted dagger and plans to kill their family. He confesses his animus power and that he gave Anemone hers. A brutal magical duel erupts, during which Turtle accidentally enchants himself to be permanently invulnerable. He wraps enchanted seaweed around Anemone's arm to block her magic and forces a ceasefire. Anemone admits she killed Whirlpool, Queen Coral's scheming advisor, and feels her soul is beyond saving. Turtle argues that any dragon can choose to do good.

Before Turtle can hide Anemone from Darkstalker, the ancient dragon senses the cascade of magic and teleports every animus in Pyrrhia to his throne room. He summons Kinkajou and threatens to kill her unless the hidden animus reveals himself. Turtle gives his hiding stick to Anemone, erasing her from Darkstalker's memory, and steps into the open. Darkstalker blasts him with fire, but Turtle's invulnerability protects him. Kinkajou leaps onto Darkstalker's face and melts his eye with venom, buying Anemone time to escape. Darkstalker casts a memory-erasing spell on Kinkajou, which fails silently due to Turtle's earlier protection; she feigns compliance and leaves with Turtle's pouch of enchanted objects. Darkstalker permanently strips Turtle of his animus power and locks him in the dungeon. Turtle accepts his imprisonment, knowing Anemone is free, Kinkajou is protected, and Qibli has been alerted.

An epilogue reveals three crises across Pyrrhia: coordinated bombings undermine SandWing Queen Thorn, a ghostly apparition terrorizes SeaWing dragonets, and a plague sweeps the Ice Kingdom, killing IceWing Queen Glacier. An excerpt from the next book shows Qibli using Turtle's enchanted food-doubling bowl to duplicate his immunity earring, creating enough copies for the entire school. When Sunny, a SandWing who co-founded Jade Mountain Academy, puts one on, she is immediately freed from Darkstalker's charm and reacts with alarm.