anneliese ronda

The great nation of Israel lies in ruins, God's temple ransacked and plundered, His people consumed by Babylon. A once unparalleled nation is reduced to slaves, widows, and beggars, their god mocked as a jester.

Kefira, a headstrong young Jew, struggles to survive in the empire of Persia, orphaned in the wake of her nation's destruction. No longer a child but not yet a woman, she has grown up with no home, dowry, or anything to call her own. Hopeless and destined for poverty, her prayers for deliverance seem to go unanswered—until she discovers a strange and beautiful red egg.

Rakhshan, a mercenary, then intrudes upon her and her discovery, bringing with him allure, intrigue, and a hostile dragon. Despite the growing uncertainty of his allegiance, the miraculous occurs: from her relic hatches the most powerful creature in all the empires—a colossal dragon of Israel, the last of his kind. Her awe of him grows into a fierce love that will endanger her life, as she becomes the most critical piece in a game of power between nations, condemned to deceit, conspiracy, and marriage against her will. Her only moor against despair is the uncertain friendship of Rakhshan, and the eroding belief that her God still sees her, and the silent prayer that the miracle of her dragon will not cost her everything.