Dawn of the Heiresses: Astrarium Chronicles, #1

By Cristina Atienza

As every two years, the Sun Queen and the Moon Queen battle for the control of Astrarium. But this year, an unthinkable tragedy has occurred: both queens have tragically died.

Now, the race is on to find their successors.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cristina Atienza
• Release date: Jun 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224164806

Book preview

FOREWORD

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Dragons are both our guardians and our greatest fears, as they are both a blessing and a curse. They protect us from the dangers that lurk in the shadows, but they also bring destruction and chaos when they enter battle. But we all agree on one thing: without them, balance would fade and darkness would reign in the world. That’s why we trust them to keep us safe.

Study of the Astrarium beings of the Sun Queen Raenala.

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Legend has it that many, many thousands of years ago, at the dawn of time, the Mother Goddess embarked on her final odyssey. While the echoes of the Last Great Battle still resonated in the immense void, the Creator was looking for a place in which to deposit her power, protector of the Universe.

But within the deepest shadows of this immense cosmos, an ancient and dark threat waited, insatiable and hungry for divine power. Its invisible tentacles stretched out, crawling through the shadows, beyond the stars were desperately seeking the source of eternal light; the two most precious jewels of Creation.

With a pained and desperate cry, the Mother Goddess shattered the universe's foundations, ripping through the veil of time and space to create the Nebulae Magna. Within it, she placed Astrarium, a young dwarf planet, and there she deposited the two little newborns she carried in her arms.

The Queen of the Sun, with golden eyes and hair like sparkling fire, and the Queen of the Moon, with hair of the purest white and eyes like ice crystals, were hidden in the confines of the new planet, where their pursuer could never find them.

I will never let you find them! I will not let you condemn the universe to darkness!

To protect them from the threat that stalked them, the Goddess created the dragons with her last breath. Powerful immortal beings with hearts of lava and scales hard like diamond, to keep the delicate balance of the universe. From her tears the seas were born, full of ferocious and lethal creatures, whose abundant vegetation hid the small ones.

With their sharp claws and burning anuon, the dragons watched over the safety of the two little girls, ready to confront any enemy that dared to threaten them.

But even in the safety of their new home, danger remained.

An ancient entity, a dark primordial being, lurks in the depths of the cosmos, hungry for power and thirsty for revenge. Their sibylline whispers and elusive presence continue to infiltrate the dreams of mortals, sowing terror and darkness in those who dare to welcome them into their minds.

A being that leaves a trail of death and destruction in its wake.

An entity behind which leaves nothing behind; the most absolute void.

With her remaining strength, the Creator of Worlds sculpted the heavens, forged the continents and formed new planets, giving shape to Arvandor, Luxaria, Novaar, Celestia and Thalassa, and in them, she deposited fragments of her divine essence, trusting that these Traces of her magic would distract her pursuers and provide her daughters with a chance to survive. And she also created the beings that populate Astrarium; the magic of the dragons breathed life into them.

And with a last sigh of sadness, the Mother Goddess disappeared into the darkness. The ancient shadow rose from the depths of the universe, desperately searching for her daughters. With a roar of animal fury, it was said to sound as if existence itself would cower in terror before the great evil that lurked among the stars, awaiting its moment.

A roar that still echoes in the darkness, swearing revenge and announcing calamities and disasters in the times to come, reveals its relentless determination to find its prey and claim its power.

Unfortunately, the beloved rulers of Astrarium, daughters of the Goddess, were also mortal and ended up reuniting with their mother at the age of 2050. Human queens took their place, bearers of the reminiscences of their Creator’s power, in charge of ensuring the balance and protection of their world.

But the human being is fragile, and can easily be corrupted by the desires of their heart. The shadow soon found the trace of divine power, and it is said that it is still here, somewhere hidden among us, waiting for its moment...

However, this one you have in your hands is much more than a story of the fight between good and evil, dear reader. It is the story of how an entire world can depend on the ability of some girls to trust others, the story of how a group of people face their deepest fears to do what they believe is right.

Dear reader, feel welcome, and remember that sometimes emotions can be powerful like dragons, but just like them, it is necessary to learn how to tame them, and value them as they are.

Whoever you are, I welcome you to the queendom of Astrarium.

1 EVANORA SUNNEVA

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In the year 205 of the Double Reign, a great battle broke out between the queens. It is said that the heavens opened and dragons descended upon the battlefield, unleashing their fury against those who dared challenge their rule. In the end, only one of the Queens survived, ushering in a new era for the queendom.

Compendium of the History of Astrarium by the Sage Vidya-sae.

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The wind howls fiercely between the mountain ridges, carrying with it the distant echo of an earth-shaking battle, and the acrid smell of smoke and blood. The furious roars of the dragons filter through the storm clouds, with lightning illuminating their sharp fangs, which seek to ensnare their opponent, their gleaming armored scales protected by thick metal armor covered in spikes.

The glow of the red setting sun momentarily blinds the Sun Queen. She waits patiently for her opponent to stop playing hide-and-seek in the enormous desert canyon in which they are battling, whose bottom is still blackened by the fire of the beast that created it, several centuries ago.

There they are again, like every two years, armed only with their powers and their dragons, to decide who of them will hold the crown until the next Coronation Ceremony, which will be held seven hundred and eighty-four days later.

The Moon Dragon, a snow-white beast called Shabana, hides in the clouds waiting for its opportunity to fall on Apollo, the Sun Dragon, a huge mass of muscles and reddish scales, following the orders of its rider.

In one swift movement, the white shadow dives, managing to bite into the back of its opponent, who roars furiously in pain as the sharp fangs pierce its armored body.

Evanora, the Sun Queen, catches a beam of light and launches it at her adversaries, who quickly separate to get out of her path. The white dragon growls a warning and releases a puff of smoke.

Let’s get over with the ceremony!

With a defiant roar, the red dragon counterattacks, spreading its powerful wings to move away and release a burst of golden flames that engulf its attacker in a storm of fire. Shabana responds with a howl of pain and rage. Their jaws collide with a deafening roar as furious bites are directed, sending sparks and fragments of scales into the air.

Come on, Apollo, get rid of them! You can do it! The red-haired woman holding the reins of the Sun dragon smiles. Her golden eyes challenge her opponent, who frowns when a fireball, similar to a small sun, passes by them, who narrowly avoid it, while the pale moon dragon rider curses under her breath.

His precognition power is very little useful in situations like that. Battles with Evanora are always very fast and confusing, barely allowing her to guess her opponent’s next moves quickly enough to avoid them. But, of course, this time her opponent is playing her cards especially well.

But the albino dragon is not intimidated by the attack. With a flap of her wings, Shabana rises above the flames, her body enveloped in a dark aura of shadows and smoke, and descends ferociously on her rival, her claws extended like sharp spears like a hawk on its prey, pursuing him with relentless tenacity.

The two dragons clash hard in the sky, their claws snapping like lightning, sending sparks and fireballs in all directions and searching for weak spots in their opponent’s armor, while their necks coil in a deadly dance.

Come on, Evanora, you don’t seem to be very focused today. The Queen of the Moon, whose white hair sparkles in the sun like silver threads, smiles mischievously at her.

The red-haired woman smiles back half-heartedly.

If she wants to challenge her opponent’s power of precognition again, she will have to maintain a fast and unpredictable pace of fighting, giving the gray-eyed queen no time to think. Otherwise, her ability to anticipate her attacks will put her in serious trouble.

The beasts separate to meet again in the air, challenging each other with intense glares and roars that reverberate throughout the valley, making the few beings capable of living there cower in terror. Its wings unfold with a deafening roar, sending turbulent currents of hot air across the sky.

The smaller, more agile white dragon pours out a deep hum as it moves through the clouds with impressive speed, its tail twisting like a whip. The reddish dragon, in response, emits a guttural growl and spreads its wings again with a furious gesture.

You didn’t expect that, did you, Evanora? the white-haired woman gives her a smile that makes the Sun Queen’s blood boil. She leans back on her dragon’s back, furious, and whispers some words of encouragement.

The fight continues, as the skies continue to darken with clouds of smoke and ash and the echo of their roars echoes throughout the battlefield, with the earth blackened by the impacts of the beasts’ flames.

The red dragon dives, its searing breath setting fire to the air in its wake. The albino dragon twists at the last moment, dodging the attack with an agile spin and counterattacking with a blast of fire. Meanwhile, its rider's heart pounds in her chest as she struggles to maintain control of her companion amidst the chaotic whirlwind unfolding around them. She clings so tightly to her mount that her knuckles are as white as her suit.

Don’t back away, Shabana, let them come closer! We are much faster than them!

The battle is at its peak, with the two dragons engaged in a fierce duel several kilometers above the ground. Flames and smoke swirl around them, creating a suffocating curtain of chaos and confusion that envelops the entire battlefield. But, in the middle of the skirmish, the white dragon disappears in the blackish smoke. Evanora laughs, they are hiding again to try to set up one of their silly ambushes, like little girls playing cat and mouse.

Come on, Diellza, stop playing. We’ve been here for hours, how much longer are you going to take to admit that I win this time? Don’t be childish, you can’t always win.

Suddenly, a shrill, anguished sound echoes through the air, followed by a deafening roar that shakes the sky. The rider shudders when she recognizes its origin: it is the Moon Dragon’s cry of anguish. The red-haired woman turns her head towards it, desperately searching for its source through the darkness and confusion.

Diellza! Diellza, what’s going on? Are you okay?

The smoke disperses for a moment, revealing a devastating image: the white dragon lies wounded on the ground, bloodied and with its wings damaged next to its rider, who is lying on the ground, gray eyes wide and body twisted. at an unnatural angle.

The red-haired rider grits her teeth in determination, feeling a wave of fury burn within her. With a war cry, she urges her dragon to charge forward, but a shiver runs down her spine. Just in time, she turns to see out of the corner of her eye the fleeting movement of an immense black shadow, imposing and menacing, gliding silently between the columns of smoke.

It is impossible, no one could have gotten so close to the battle area; there are guards stationed everywhere to avoid accidents.

She guides her red dragon towards the mysterious intruder, fear quickening her pulse as she feels the frantic beating of the beast’s heart beneath her. The pungent, pungent smell makes it difficult for her to breathe, but she fights not to cough.

She strains his ears in search of something that might give away her opponent’s position, but all she can hear is the roar of the wind blowing through the mountains of the valley.

Who are you? she throws the question into the air, but only receives silence in response. What do you want?

Through the darkness, the shadow moves with a sinister slowness, like a stalking shark that seems to feed on the fear that paralyzes it. The rider struggles to maintain control of her dragon and herself, as the shadow draws ever closer, enveloping everything in its path like an unfathomable black cloak. She knows she must fight, but how do you fight an enemy you can’t see?

With a scream of already dead rage, the rider urges her dragon to charge forward, but, before she can see her opponent clearly, a sharp pain shoots through her chest, drawing a gasp from her, while the immense shadow hangs over her.

She hears his dragon scream anguishedly, but her arms no longer respond, and she can only let out a solitary tear before everything around her is plunged into complete darkness.

I’m sorry, Apollo. I really am. I should have been stronger.

"Evanora, hold on! Wake up!" But it is too late. With one last agonized cry, the Sun Queen and her dragon rush towards the desert land on which they stand.

The Coronation Ceremony has ended.

The remains of both queens now lie on the battlefield, their eyes open, staring without seeing the columns of smoke that clear above them.

2. ARES ALASTAIR

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When the sky turns red and the sun hides behind the shadows, two queens will emerge from the darkness to claim their throne. One will be the daughter of the sun, whose fire will conquer the darkness. The other will be the daughter of the moon, whose light will guide the lost. Their dragons will rise in the sky, and together, they will bring peace or destruction to the kingdom.

Prophecy on the First Queens. Compendium of prophecies of the Queendom of Astrarium.

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The dragon with the moss-covered scales is the first to approach cautiously, as soon as the black clouds of smoke formed by the confrontation dissipate, allowing them to see the marks left by the battle on the rocks. They had heard the desperate cries for help from the Astral Dragons, but had not managed to arrive in time to prevent the catastrophe.

Like the other court guards, their duty is to wait outside the security perimeter to prevent anyone outside the court from getting too close and becoming involved in the Ceremony. It’s too dangerous, dragons could hurt, or even kill, someone innocent accidentally.

They are only allowed to leave their posts when the battle is over or, as in this case, if some kind of emergency occurs. Upon hearing their call, the two dragons in charge of surveillance have gone at full speed to help the monarchs, but it is already too late.

Without a second thought, Asha lands at a safe distance from the shattered bodies of the humans, avoiding the areas where the sand has melted into rough shards of glass due to the high temperatures of the draconic fire, letting her rider quickly descend to the ground, running to the corpses of the humans, which are still lying on the ground.

The young man, dressed in a navy blue military uniform, approaches them with a heavy heart and takes their pulse but, when he cannot find it, puts his hands to his head and tangles his fingers in his raven hair, with a sigh of despair.

Both queens are dead.

A second cloud of dust rises in swirls when Galadron, his companion's dragon, in charge of patrolling the western perimeter, lands next to Asha, his dragon, who pitifully smells the blood stain that slowly appears under the queens, in disbelief.

How could this happen? he murmurs, more to himself than to the dark-haired woman wrapped in fur who has landed next to him.

It is impossible that anyone could have surprised Diellza, she would have seen it coming. And Evanora... How could someone take down the fierce Sun Queen so quickly?

What the hell happened? His interlocutor turns pale as he looks at the corpses, with a certain fear.

It’s bad enough that one of them dies during the Ceremony, but both? And also the two dragons. What has happened there? How could such a catastrophe occur?

The place chosen for the ceremony is supposed to be one of the safest places on this planet, in the middle of a desert guarded by two cities, in which the guardians have a privileged position to protect the contestants.

I don’t know, we heard a call for help from Shabana, but when I arrived they were already... The soldier cannot finish the sentence.

He begins to walk up and down, circling like a caged lion, with his dark blue eyes fixed on the desolate scene in front of him, while his companion scans their surroundings in search of any clues, but in the grand canyon there´s only ash and destruction, and they probably won’t be able to examine anything thoroughly but the scorched earth cools.

It wasn’t your fault, Ares. There was nothing you could do.

You don’t understand, Lenora. Before she fell, Shabana was able to send us one last message.

Do you know what happened? The young man clenches his teeth tightly and snorts, furious.

This is his fault, he knew there was something strange. He must have listened to his intuition, and to the annoying chills that have been on his back all day.

They knew they were going to die. The woman turns pale at her companion’s words and lets herself fall against the white body of Galadron, her dragon, in an attempt to maintain her balance, while Ares angrily kicks a rock, breaking it into pieces that fly in all directions with a scream of rage, making his dragon Asha flinch. Although he tries with all his might to remain calm, it is impossible, he cannot help but feel the guilt that weighs more and more on his chest.

He is the Captain of the Royal Guard, protecting them was his job, and has failed miserably.

Because of him, they are now dead. All four have died. Unable to avoid it, he lets out another scream, dropping to his knees, resisting the urge to draw his sword and start interrogating possible witnesses, although deep down he knows it