Andrew studied the Codex by firelight in secret chambers beneath the Red Temple. It spoke of things older than Valyria—of flame spirits, of gods drowned in ash, of dragons that could speak in the old tongue. His nights blurred into weeks. His fingers burned with glyphs of power, each ritual branding his skin with invisible flame.
He began dreaming of a dragon—a black-scaled beast with veins of red. Each time he woke, his breath came out as steam.