«Dragonbond» by Jes A. Condrey

Koragi is a promising young seamstress who longs to open her own tailoring shop in her home village of Cordak. Like most young girls in the village, she has an eye for Tebanis, the handsome militia captain with a crooked smile and a fierce sword arm.

Hooded thugs attack Koragi during the annual harvest festival in the capital city of Eiskre. Tebanis mysteriously takes the form of a black dog to track and rescue her. He takes her away from the city on horseback, but they arrive in Cordak to find the village devastated. A massive golden dragon lies dead in the smoldering ruins.

Tebanis reveals that Koragi is born of the gods, and she must cast aside her simple life to seek out three Pearls of Power in order to awaken the full capacity of her birthright. As she grieves the loss of her worldly mother and the deaths of countless villagers, Koragi is compelled to travel with Tebanis to Raitom, the City of Swords, in a desperate search for the strength to take retribution.

Alongside Tebanis, Koragi battles agents of the dark goddess Ariana as she embarks on a quest to find her Pearls and gather allies and power enough to stand against the wicked goddess who plagues Camriiole.

Facing treachery and the agony of loss, can Koragi overcome her own fears and pain to complete the impossible task which prophecy has placed before her?