Zachary made soothing sounds and kept his hands carefully visible with arms spread. He saw the animal docility in the black dragon’s eyes and knew the danger he was in. It was on the very edge. Once it became wild, there would be no turning back.
The dragon allowed him to come so close that Zachary could reach out and touch the angular ridges on its wedge-shaped head.
Then Zachary spoke. He knew he would have only this one chance.
He knew he was risking his life.
‘Your name is Dion,’ he said softly. ‘Your father was Markos. You grew up in Xanthos. You have a brother, Nikolas.’
The dragon growled and the head came up once more. The huge eyes stared at Zachary, filled with sorrow.
‘Your name is Dion,’ Zachary said again, willing the creature to understand. ‘Remember who you are.’
He felt his pulse race as the dragon’s growl became a rumble. The midnight scales rippled as its body tensed.
Then Zachary’s shoulders slumped and he breathed a sigh of relief as smoke misted the air around the creature. In moments the cloud enveloped it entirely, and then the mist wavered in his vision, shimmering like a mirage in the desert.
When the smoke cleared, Zachary was looking at a young man with sandy brown hair, his head tilted, raised on his arms with his abdomen on the grassy floor of the glade. He wore a blood-soaked tunic and shivered with pain and exhaustion.
Dion’s gaze met Zachary’s, and the eldran felt his heart reach out. The wildness slowly vanished from the young man’s eyes.
‘Come, Dion,’ Zachary said. ‘Come with me. I will introduce you to your people.’
The eldran helped the young man to stand and then Zachary looked away, in the direction of Xanthos.
‘There is no longer anything for you in that world.’
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Huge thanks go to Emilie, Eoin, Sana, Neil, and all the team, both in the UK and the US, for simply being so wonderful to work with.
I’d also like to give special thanks to Ian for trimming and tightening where it was needed, and for straightening out the wobbles in this ship’s course.
Thanks to all of you who reach out to me and take the time to post reviews of my books. Your feedback matters. In this day and age, we’re in this together.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo ? 2015 Anna Niman
James Maxwell grew up in the scenic Bay of Islands, New Zealand, and was educated in Australia. Devouring fantasy and science-fiction classics from an early age, his love for books translated to a passion for writing, which he began at the age of eleven.
Inspired by the natural beauty around him but also by a strong interest in history, he decided in his twenties to see the world. He relocated to London and then to Thailand, Mexico, Austria, and Malta, developing a lifelong obsession with travel. It was while living in Thailand that he seriously took up writing again, producing his first full-length novel, Enchantress, the first of four titles in his internationally bestselling Evermen Saga.
Golden Age is the first novel in his highly anticipated new series, The Shifting Tides.
When he isn’t writing or traveling, James enjoys sailing, snowboarding, classical guitar, and French cooking.