The Dragonbone Chair

A castle scullion with little status and a great deal of curiosity is drawn into danger as an aging king's death exposes the weakness beneath a peaceful realm. The expected succession brings political tension, while an older evil begins moving behind the visible struggle for power. Apprenticed to a secretive scholar, the young servant discovers that forgotten history may contain the only way to understand what is returning. The novel begins at ground level, allowing kitchens, corridors, stories, and small duties to establish a world before sending its protagonist beyond the castle. Growth is slow and often uncomfortable. He is not chosen because he already possesses mastery, but because he notices what others dismiss and keeps moving when safety disappears. This first volume opens a large epic while preserving its central mysteries.