Shallow Water Dragons are found in tropical regions where the water is warm. They use their magic to hunt, using bubbles to capture small fish and animals. Their large, webbed feet make them excellent swimmers and they are able to move at very high speeds. Due to their bright color, these dragons are easily spotted in the lagoons where they live.

Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

Ardena is different from the other dragons and she knows it. Ever since she was a hatchling, Ardena has been whispered about and looked upon with mingled disgust and pity by her clan. Rumours flew the day she was born: that her parents' tainted blood had damaged her. That she was not normal. Not healthy. Not accepted as a true dragon. Not even a real breed, just a deformed hybrid. It is this shame that has caused Ardena de Mhara, daughter of Asarla'i, the Cave Elder, to remain silent her entire life. She spends her days hiding beneath the water, staying close to her mother, only tentatively coming to the surface to see her father and older brother. Her father and brother, Mac, are both very protective of her due to her vulnerability. Her family are the only dragons Ardena feels comfortable around.