Elara Rourke is an art authenticator with a secret: her touch reveals not just the artist’s hand, but their very soul, the magic woven into each brushstroke. This gift isolates her in the human world while drawing her towards the hidden currents of magic pulsing beneath its surface. When reclusive art collector Justin Gilbert summons her to his Oregon estate, a sanctuary filled with artifacts rumored to be crafted by dragons, Elara feels an irresistible pull. Within Gilber...
Elara Rourke is an art authenticator with a secret: her touch reveals not just the artist’s hand, but their very soul, the magic woven into each brushstroke. This gift isolates her in the human world while drawing her towards the hidden currents of magic pulsing beneath its surface. When reclusive art collector Justin Gilbert summons her to his Oregon estate, a sanctuary filled with artifacts rumored to be crafted by dragons, Elara feels an irresistible pull. Within Gilbert’s gallery, a cathedral of shimmering scales and obsidian, she discovers the ‘Sunstone Symphony, ‘ a mobile of dragon scales that hums with celestial music, and a tapestry depicting the Dragon King Volkar, radiating an energy that both enthralls and disturbs.
Each touch, each whisper from the artifacts, deepens the mystery. Elara uncovers a centuries-old curse, a pact binding dragon and human, and Gilbert, his lineage intertwined with this ancient magic, is desperate to unravel his family’s connection before it consumes him. Joined by the estate’s enigmatic curator, Tamara Gordon, their quest becomes a dance of trust and suspicion, navigating not only the magical undercurrents of the collection but the intricate dynamics within Gilbert’s isolated world. The whispers unveil the tragic story of Zephyr, the dragon artist whose grief and longing for freedom inadvertently created the curse. Elara realizes her gift is more than a tool; it’s a conduit to Zephyr’s pain, a warning of impending doom.
But they are not alone in their search. Joseph Stewart, a ruthless collector driven by a dark ambition to control the curse, throws Elara and Gilbert into a desperate race against time. As Stewart’s shadow looms, their pursuit of knowledge becomes a fight for survival, a battle against a power that threatens to consume them all. Elara must confront not just an external threat, but the burgeoning power within herself, a power she has long suppressed. As the dying star Solaris fades, the curse intensifies, its whispers turning into a roar, urging Elara to action. The whispers guide her, revealing that breaking the curse requires a sacrifice, a merging of her essence with Zephyr’s, a risky gambit with potentially devastating consequences.
Gilbert’s gallery transforms into a battleground of unleashed magic, where secrets are revealed, loyalties are tested, and the lines between art and magic blur. Elara, standing amidst the chaos, must embrace the full potential of her gift, the echoes of dragons resonating within her soul, and confront a choice that will forever alter her destiny and the fate of two worlds.
