Fourteen-year-old Icabus used to dream about dragons. That was before the nightmares about the man in the well began- before the red ships came. Now, Icabus's island village is under siege by the Authian king, Furius, and Icabus must abandon everything he knows to answer the hundred-year-old mystery of what happened to the dragons of Apenninus. But time is against Icabus, and he must act quickly before everyone he loves is transformed into monsters to serve the mad king. Only the mysterious dragon knight, Nubis, can help Icabus find the dragons, but to convince Nubis to help him, Icabus must first prove himself to be more than a boy or a man. Furius, King of Authia, is dead. Armed with only his father's sword and an ancient dragon pendant, Dagan, the son of the King, flees into the Highlands, where the dragon, Aurifer, rescues him. But Dagan's relief is quickly shattered when he accidentally injures one of the dragon younglings, Corylus. Faced with the loss of his kingdom and the shame of his act, Dagan vows to heal Corylus and quests for the healing spring of Apenninus. But standing between Dagan and the spring are the Twelve Kingdoms ruled by the ruthless Praetor Marius. To fulfill his promise, Dagan must face his father's killer and choose between the oath of friendship and revenge.