The Serpent and the Scale

In the Eternal Dragon Empire, a realm shimmering with iridescent scales and ancient prophecies, the Obsidian Throne, carved from a dragon’s colossal heart-scale, pulsates with volatile magic.  For centuries, this throne has been occupied by human emperors, a fragile truce maintained with the incandescent Sun Dragons.  But when the immortal Emperor vanishes, the empire teeters on the brink of chaos.
Lia, an orphaned servant in the Dragon Court, knows nothing of prophecies or power.  She navigates the opulent palace as a ghost, her days a blur of endless chores and whispered secrets.  But Lia is no ordinary servant.  Beneath her skin, the blood of the Sun Dragons sings a forgotten song — a song of fire and fury. She is the Serpent in the Scale, destined to either unite or shatter the empire.
As noble houses claw for power, their loyalties as fluid as quicksilver, three figures emerge from the shadows, their fates entwined with Lia’s.
Franklin Gibson, the court sorcerer, burdened by a dark secret, sees in Lia a chance to break the court's iron grip. He becomes her mentor, guiding her through the treacherous currents of dragon magic and courtly intrigue.
Carrie Green, a dragon-rider whose loyalty burns brighter than any noble's ambition, pledges her allegiance to Lia, becoming her shield against the whispering assassins and shadow-clad spies.
Ronald Gardner, a lord whose silver tongue masks a viper's heart, offers Lia sanctuary and power, his promises as alluring and dangerous as dragon scales. But his whispers of a glorious future hide a venomous truth.
And lurking in the shadows, Jennifer Orr, a matriarch consumed by ambition, sees Lia as a pawn in her ruthless game to seize the Obsidian Throne.
As Lia grapples with her explosive heritage, she must choose: embrace a tyrannical birthright or ignite a rebellion that could consume the empire in flames. With the empire’s fate hanging in the balance, Lia must learn to control not only her powers, but also her own heart, for the true power of the Serpent in the Scale lies not in destruction, but in balance.  Discover the secrets of the Dragon Court, where whispers turn to roars, and the fate of an empire rests on the shoulders of an unlikely heroine.