"Dragon’s Silver" by Marina Surzhevskaya, summary Automatic translate

This book is a fantasy romance novel published in 2019. The plot revolves around the clash between the technologically advanced Confederation and the wild fjords separated by the magical Great Mist. The main character, a girl named Veronica, travels to the harsh lands of the barbarian Ilkh under a special resettlement program. She travels not for gold or love, but to escape an incurable heart disease and the pity of her family. The heroine must survive in the harsh city of Djarvenshiel, full of ancient secrets, snow monsters, and cruel patriarchal customs.

Arriving at the fjords

A group of twenty Confederate girls crosses the Great Mist on foot. Each of them has voluntarily agreed to become the wife of an ilkh, a stern fjord dweller. Among the settlers is twenty-three-year-old Veronica Edwards. Her suitor, Ingolf, a riar of Djarvenshila, has applied for her. The groom is old, but this suits her perfectly. After passing through the Mist, they are met by armed guards and the smiling ship captain, Lert. The girls are ordered to change their usual clothes for uncomfortable long dresses and furs. On the wooden ship, the Swift, the settlers are given rich gifts from their suitors. But Veronica receives nothing; her chest is empty.

En route, the ship is attacked by a huge black dragon. The monster rains fire on the masts and attempts to seize one of the terrified girls. Suddenly, Lert transforms into a giant sea serpent and engages in a brutal battle with the attacker, forcing it to retreat into the clouds. Lert explains to a shocked Veronica the main secret of the fjords. Some ilhi wear the frosted ring of Gorlokhum around their necks. This ancient artifact allows a person to merge with the soul of a living dragon. The locals call these werewolves "höggs." The Confederation government carefully conceals this fact from its citizens, protecting their psyche.

Grim Djarvenshiel

Upon arriving in Djarvenshiel, Lert refuses to accompany Veronica to the fortress. He gives her a pearl medallion to summon help. The girl enters the dirty and frightening city alone. In Riar’s tower, she finds drunken warriors and stumbles upon a man with mismatched eyes. One ilkh eye is blue, the other pitch black. The man, named Krast, delivers shocking news. Old Man Ingolf is dead. According to fjord law, the deceased’s bride goes to his closest free relative. Now Veronica is officially considered Krast’s betrothed. Riar openly hates the outsider, and the girl fears the savage. Veronica has a month to decide on the wedding.

Veronica attempts to tidy up her assigned room. She encounters the hostility of Brida, the chief handmaiden. Before the ritual of her presentation to the clan council, Brida tricks Veronica into wearing a luxurious white and red dress. In the tower hall, the heads of the clans are enraged. The dress belonged to Solveig, Ingolf’s deceased daughter. The warriors consider the stranger’s actions a terrible insult and pour a mixture of mud, snow, and the blood of a sacred bird on her. Veronica endures the humiliation stoically, without uttering a sound. Krast places the crown of a betrothed on her head, officially taking her under his protection. He then brutally suppresses the outrage of a warrior named Haldor.

Secrets of the Evil Mountain

The girl becomes close to the young cook, Anni. The girl reveals Krast’s status. Ilh was born with heterochromia, considered a mark of the Evil Mountain. Ingolf hated his son, born to a Jotun-shagun — a local mountain witch. Krast grew up a true outcast, became a freelance mercenary, and only recently returned, seizing power by force. Haldor, Ingolf’s nephew, groomed as his successor since childhood, is eager to reclaim the tower. He is gathering supporters among the villagers.

Veronica takes control of the kitchen, displacing the thieving Brida. In retaliation, the old woman spikes the warriors’ food with a bitter, medicinal tincture of bodryanka. Krast condemns the servants to death in the cold waters of the sea. Veronica begs for their lives, and Brida is banished from the city forever. Gradually, Riar and the stranger grow closer. The girl teaches the illiterate Krast to read and write. Ilkh is tormented by the "call of högg" — a dragon’s animalistic attraction to its true mate, a kind of magical aphrodisiac. He barely restrains his instincts around his bride. Veronica, unlike the local women, is immune to the magic of the call. She sees Krast not as a cursed savage, but as a lonely and strong man.

Ice monsters

During a walk, Veronica is lured by a shining blue light. She wanders deep into the mountains and finds herself in the lair of the jötunn — giant, furry predators. Krast finds her at the last moment. Riar, barefoot, performs a mesmerizing magical dance, luring the monsters into a deep sleep. During her precipitous escape, Veronica receives a deep scratch from a jötunn’s poisonous claw. Krast brings the wounded girl to a secluded jötunn-shagun hut.

Veronica is surprised to recognize the witch as Solveig. She is Krast’s twin sister. Ingolf threw his own daughter into the ice to awaken her magical gift and drive away the ancient monster I-ro from the city. Krast rescued his sister and hid her in the mountains, then returned to seek revenge on his father. Solveig confesses that she was the one who transformed herself into a black dragon and drove Captain Lert away from Veronica. The sea höggr turned out to be Haldor’s loyal sworn brother. Lert deliberately spread rumors of Krast’s madness. The conspirators attempted to provoke a war and deprive the young ruler of power.

In the Shagun hut, Krast and Veronica confess their overwhelming feelings. Riar breaks the strict law of abstinence before marriage, and they spend the night together. Krast vows to restore the ruined Djarvenshiel and make the girl happy. For the first time, he finds meaning in life with his silver maiden.

Battle of Dyarvenshiel

Lert kidnaps Veronica and takes her to a secluded sea island. He confesses his sincere hatred of the Confederacy. The captain planned to kill the girl, faking it as a brutal attack by the mad black dragon Krast. The death of the settler would force the human government to permanently sever ties with the fjords. Lert also reports news from the Högg Council. The sages have learned of Veronica’s forged documents. The girl is terminally ill and will soon die of heart failure.

Krast finds his beloved with the help of the magic of the invisible world. In the form of a mighty black dragon, he engages in aerial combat with Lert. From the horror and immense strain she has endured, Veronica’s ailing heart stops. Riar uses a bone needle, a shagun, to firmly sew the girl’s soul to her body, bringing her back from the dead. The powerful magic of the fjords and the love of the ilkh completely cure the fatal illness.

Upon returning to Djarvenshiel, the heroes discover an armed rebellion. Haldor challenges Krast, wounded in battle with Lert, to a duel of strength. Krast withstands a hail of heavy blows and tells Haldor startling news: Solveig is alive. The black-eyed ilh freezes in shock, and Krast easily defeats his opponent. Haldor is frozen and hidden in an icy cave in the Evil Mountain until better times.

That same day, the ai-roh, an ancient androgynous monster from the depths of the Evil Mountain, awakens. The monster descends upon the city, writhing its ten-meter-long body and threatening to destroy all inhabitants with an icy wind. Krast and Solveig fearlessly step out to meet the ai-roh. Barefoot, they perform an ancient dance of unity, pacifying the creature. The monster falls asleep and retreats back into the mountains. The inhabitants of Djarvenshiel fall to their knees and tearfully acknowledge Krast as the true riar. The city finally bows before the strength and nobility of its young ruler.

A delegation from the Höggr council attempts to take Veronica back beyond the Mist for violating the treaty’s medical rules. Krast categorically refuses the substantial gold ransom and declares that the maiden will remain with him forever. Ten days later, Veronica proudly dons her wife’s golden belt. The girl establishes the export of healing vodryanka to the Confederation, enriching Djarvenshiel. The couple discovers an ancient treasure trove hidden by Ingolf in the mountains. The discovery of gold ensures the town’s continued prosperity and lasting peace.