Brief

A young boy who has learned that dragons are real, and has one as his friend and mentor, faces his third adventure. He is asked to defend the earth from hateful demons and ensure the survival of the human race, reaching his one true destiny.

What We Liked

- In a world with dragons, Ian consistently rises to the challenge to be a compelling character.
- There are already several well-known and well-loved movies that feature fantastical creatures, and Ian's dragon friends would be no exception. Ian is called upon to save the world, which is a familiar trope for a children's adventure/fantasy film, and he would easily have an entire audience rooting for him.
- Adapting this book for television would be logical due to the huge scope of the story. This is merely the third book. There are hints at numerous adventures in the first two, as well as many more to come. Ian's experiences with the dragons could unfold across several seasons, much less episodes. There would never be a shortage of stories or characters.
- Appropriate for children; Compassionate lead character; Shape-shifting dragons; Ability to easily expand the story to any era or place; Dragons are interesting.

Synopsis

A dragon called BRY-ANKH discusses a boy, IAN, with a mysterious MAN all in black riding a black horse. Bry is young Ian’s mentor. He reassures the man that Ian is ready for a coming battle, and to protect the world from yellow-eyed creatures. The two watch over the estate where Ian’s family lives as a late spring storm rolls in. Ian watches the storm from inside his room, convinced he sees Bry within the clouds. Ian is in the house with his MOTHER and FATHER. His older BROTHER has recently left for university. The next morning, Father hints that he also saw something odd during the storm. Ian goes exploring in the woods, and Bry finds him there. Bry can be either his dragon form, or any form he chooses thanks to harnessing dragon energy. He says that Ian’s father might know more than he’s letting on, and that Ian’s family has history with dragons. Father has been immensely successful thanks to the influence of dragons. Dragons are able to influence events and people’s thoughts. Father has been guided along this path so that Ian would grow up on the estate. Back at the manor, Father shows Ian a secret room he found years earlier. A mysterious man called the COUNT used to own this house, and he created the secret chamber. There is an old ring, and a book with drawings of ancient peoples and dragons, as well as ten islands in a circle in the middle of the Atlantic which are no longer there. There’s also a grave warning in the book from the Count, who was a Master of Dragons, that one cannot wear the ring unless they’re pure of heart. Bry comes to Ian that night in his room and explains that the Count performed ceremonies for the Dragon Brotherhood in the secret room, and that he’s closely connected to another dragon, KA-ATEN.


At the beginning of summer, Ian and his father go on a ride into the forest, and they come upon the mysterious man all in black from the beginning of the book. This is the Count, who has not aged because he’s of a race of beings that existed hundreds of thousands of years before people. Ka-Aten is his companion, currently in the form of the horse he’s riding. Their land has an energy vortex that acts as a receptacle for energy from other places in the galaxy, marked by ten stones in a circle, similar to the former islands in the Atlantic. The Count explains that there are two secret Brotherhoods, the Dragon Brotherhood and the Brotherhood of the One. The former is invested in helping humans with physical needs, such as tools and technology, whereas the latter is only interested in the development of the human soul. The Brotherhood of the One is what Ian is being trained to be a part of. Ian’s father confesses to him that he put on the Count’s ring once. He was nearly possessed by the yellow-eyed demons, which he understands now after the discussion with the Count. That night, Bry explains to Ian that the Count is from Atlantis, or the ring of islands in the middle of the Atlantic on the map in the secret room. The islands were intentionally sunk tens of thousands of years ago to protect humanity. Dragon energy has blessed and preserved the Atlanteans, like the Count. Ka-Aten was the servant dragon for ANHUR, the ruler of Atlantis.

Meanwhile, Bry tells Ian that the dragons have influenced his father to take him along on a business trip to Zurich, Switzerland. Ian must go with him, as that’s where he’ll finally meet the Gold Dragon. The Gold Dragon, or Khepri-Thoth — KT for short — came to Earth to help the first dragons understand their true spiritual potential. KT and the other dragons want to lead humans on this path and protect them from the yellow-eyed creatures. The creatures feed on hate and fear, and they will seek to inspire it in humans if they can get to this plane. To combat this, Ian must make sure the earth’s life force is energized enough to defeat the forces of darkness and hate. In Zurich, Ian meets with both KT and Bry. They explain that Ian and Father will need to use the place on the estate grounds with the ten stones that can make a portal to generate energy and protect the earth when the battle comes. Back in the States, KT appears at the estate. A solar eclipse is happening soon, and the yellow-eyed creatures are taking this cosmic event as their sign that the world is weak, and they plan to attack that night. KT tells Ian that the Count will be with him and Father, and the three of them, alongside Bry and Ka-Aten, will be responsible for guarding the stone circle vortex on the estate. The eclipse arrives in ten days time. Father and son watch the eclipse with protective glasses, waiting for nightfall. Father and Ian meet the Count with the ring. There are several similar portals around the world, and each has one human fighting; Ian is the protector of this portal.

The Count instructs Ian that at midnight, he must walk into the stone circle and put the Dragon Ring on his right hand. Bry is confident that Ian will be ready and capable, and the Count confides the Ian has done this before, in a past life. He must send the yellow-eyed creatures back to their own dimension again. Ian goes into the circle at the Count’s command. He is transformed into Anhur, the last warrior king of Atlantis, replete with armor and a sword, and he remembers this life as he becomes the ancient man. Anhur defeated the creatures before and does so again with light beams from the Sword of Justice. The power of the cosmos flows through him and the sword, and he vanquishes the creatures. Anhur tells Father that Ian’s path to becoming a Dragon Master is his destiny. Anhur takes off the ring, and he transforms back into young Ian.

About The Author

Jim Dilyard is a life-long resident of Wayne County, Ohio, and a father to two sons. This series will take the reader on adventures to distant places and backward and forward in time.