Then Merenrys rose.

Her form unfurled into to its true shape, vast and terrible. Her scales caught the dim light and turned it into glimpse of ocean fire: teal and gold, gleaming like sunlit waves, smoothened across her entire dragon body. Along her neck and crown, her scales flowed upward into the semblance of a Nemes headdress, each ridge and fold glittering with embedded gemstones that pulsed like living stars. The gems were not adornment. They were arteries of her power, glowing brighter ...