When fourteen year old Marcus Kharn accidently smears blood on an ancient amulet-the only keepsake he has from his long lost mother-it alerts the Dark One that the rightful heir to the dragon throne is still alive. The drakyn-nearly mindless flesh-eating dragons, hatched from the dead eggs of a dark queen-are sent to hunt for Marcus.His beloved grandfather killed and vineyard home burned to ash, Marcus goes on the run where he teams up with a scholar-Ben, a novice healer/dragon-mate-Chelene, and her teacher the golden dragon who shares her soul-Xan'Drake. Together they make a pact to end the rampaging evil, which attacks villages by night, leaving behind smoking ruins filled with carnage.Betrayal gets them all captured except Marcus, who is left for dead, buried alive beneath tons of gravel and rock. Marcus must embrace his destiny if he wants to escape the grave and rescue his friends."Rise of the Drakyn is a new voice in the fantasy field. A blend of horror, dark fantasy, and heroics, here is a story that challenges the genre while expanding it in new directions."--James Rollins, best selling author of Devil Colony and Bloodline