When Basch encountered an injured creature outside his town, he hadn't expected it to be a dragon. Nor had he expected its hunter to be a fire-wielding mage. But the very last thing he expected was to bond with this injured dragon and defeat the fire mage with his very own magic. Now, after learning that he is a mage bonded to the legendary Ur-Dragon, Basch ventures to the Valhadria Academy. Dragon riders are trained and cultivated within its walls, where danger comes from both the other students and the dragons themselves. But Basch has more enemies than most, given his special gifts. There are those who would seek to use his dragon for evil, and others who see Basch as a threat to the status quo. If Basch and the Ur-Dragon are to survive, they will have to grow together in power, acquiring new draconic forms, elemental powers, and ways of manipulating the very fabric of magic.