In the world of Igraine, repeated attacks by creatures called the Dread have pushed civilization to the edge of collapse. Aran Lawson was once an ordinary tracker. Now he is a dragalier — a warrior bonded to a dragon companion named Eckhardt — and possibly humanity's last viable hope. Combat revolves around managing the chains that bind rider to dragon: slack reins allow Eckhardt to unleash his most devastating attacks, but too much freedom risks triggering his primal instincts and endangering Aran.