The last Aturan King is dying. Control of his weaking power over sa and ka is a lure; the Emperor stirs in his Forbidden City; in the Seared Lands, Eth bring secret death. Eight men and women take their first steps to war, unaware that they will face a greater threat; at the heart of the world, the Dragon stirs. A warrior will become Queen, a Queen will become a monster, and a boy plays his bird-skull flute to keep the shadows of death at bay.



Deborah A. Wolf has some personal knowledge of life as a barbarian warrior, having grown up in a wildlife refuge in Alaska. She later worked as an Arabic linguist for the US Army. Before Wolf's formative years in Alaska, she spent some of her early years on a deserted island. She has a love of different cultures where she can use those settings to create giant monsters, as well as flora and fauna. Deborah currently lives in northern Michigan.