A Kirkus June 2013 top pick! Elemental magic existed before mankind was born, and for good or ill, some of this magic seeped into the world, eventually coalescing into a monstrous entity of Fire and Ice, a threat to all humanity. Aided by his six brothers, a legendary king found the means to stand against this incarnation of the Seven-Petaled Shield. With it, they subdued the entity and imprisoned it in the far North. But with the passing of generations, the king's line faltered and his once-great city, Meklavar, diminished until it was all but forgotten. Yet within its walls the remnants of the Shield still held power. Unaware of the legendary Shield and hungry only for a mighty empire, the king of Gelon has begun a march of conquest. But what could have been merely ruthless ambition becomes potentially cataclysmic when his unstoppable army turns toward Meklavar. As the city falls, its newly widowed queen, Tsorreh, flees with her adolescent son, Zevaron, and the heart-stone of the Shield, seeking refuge in her mother's homeland. But with the removal of the heart-stone, the ancient power of Fire and Ice strengthens, spreading its malevolent influence across the land. And this time there is only Tsorreh and her son, desperate heirs to a shattered Shield, to stop it. The Seven-Petaled Shield is the first installment of the thrilling Seven-Petaled Shield series.