Dragon Weather

"Dragon Weather" (1999) is the first novel of The Obsidian Chronicles, a trilogy by Lawrence Watt-Evans. It centers around a boy named Arlian and his quest for vengeance against the dragons that destroyed his hometown Obsidian and killed his family, and against the man who sold him into slavery, the mysterious and ruthless Lord Dragon.

Plot introduction

After his aided escape from the dreaded mines, Arlian, nicknamed Trivial or Triv for short (due to him claiming his name was "unimportant"), finds shelter secretly within the House of Six Lords. After staying out the winter there with his newly found disabled friends, he is found out and forced to escape. Rather than live down the shame of harboring a fugitive within the House, Lord Dragon appears and slays the women within and burns the House to the ground.

Arlian seeks out those who wronged him and his friends and eventually destroys his most powerful foe Lord Enziet, who is revealed to be the hated Lord Dragon. Lord Dragon is a fitting name for Enziet, as a baby dragon grows in his heart, like others called 'dragon hearts' for their unnaturally strong charisma. Arlian acquires the title of Lord through his fortune he made from Arithei, and takes on the name of his felled home Obsidian.

Lord Obsidian tracks down his foes one by one, almost all of which are 'dragon hearts' that harbor growing dragons in their hearts without their knowing.

Upon confrontation with Enziet, the dragon is released from Enziet's body after Enziet stabs himself with an obsidian dagger. Arlian discovers obsidian is the only substance that can kill a dragon, since dragons and obsidian alike are forged of fire and darkness. He falls unconscious after the tremendous battle to slay the bloodred dragonet, and is carried to safety by his steward and friend Black(whose real name is Beron).