What does the dragon know? The kingdom of Everran is dying, razed by a dragon that came out of nowhere to burn its oil groves and devastate its vineyards and kill its folk. Everran was safe, prosperous, and contented, with peaceful lords, a strong king, and beautiful queen. What has it ever done to earn a curse? But legend says a dragon's coming always has a cause. If no enemy has bespelled the country, is there something wrong in Everran itself? Despite its prosperity and its peace and its royal couple who have not yet had a child? Soldiers cannot stop the dragon. There is no help in Everran's neighbors, and none in legend or history. Why has the dragon come? What does the dragon know? Answering its riddle will explain the ruin of a kingdom-and turn its ruler into something less than human but very much more than a man. Sylvia Kelso lives in North Queensland, Australia.

The empress of Assharral is powerful beyond resistance, immortal beyond the threat of age. Under her hand rests the Wells of Wisdom, wizardry's ultimate tool. It seems nothing can ever change. Until a stranger enters Assharral.

The princess Selithar will inherit the kingdom of Everran: small, peaceful and secure. And stifling under a dynasty's traditions that Selithar burns to strip away. But when she takes the throne, peace and security end.