In a kingdom built on dominance, the one thing they cannot control is about to burn it all down. Elara has spent her entire life surviving the harsh lower realms, abiding by the only rules that matter: Don't stand out. Don't fight back. Don't hope. But when the dreaded Tithe comes early, those rules shatter. Dragged from her home to the towering, unreachable spires of the dragon lords, Elara is thrust into a world of lethal politics and ancient, chilling secrets. These dragons are no mindless beasts; they are calculating gods bound by laws older than the kingdoms themselves-and they are hiding truths that could unravel the entire world. When Elara accidentally bonds with an ancient, imprisoned Elder dragon, she isn't just becoming a rider-she is becoming a weapon. Forced to navigate the brutal training of the dragon academy, Elara must decide: will she endure this system of sacrifice, or will she burn it to the ground? With survival no longer enough, Elara and her brilliant, math-obsessed friend Finn must uncover the truth behind the "Concordance" before they are incinerated. But as Elara discovers the dark power thrumming in her own veins, she realizes that the dragons were never meant to be enslaved-and the Spire's foundation is built on a lie that will demand a continent's ransom to expose.
