The Hero and The Crown

"The dragonfire pulled at her, seeking her life; it clawed at her pale shining skin, and at the supple leather she wore; and while the heat of it did not distress here, the heat of its malice did; and as the fire passed over her and disappeared she stood still in shock, and stared straight ahead of her, and did not move." --from The Hero and the CrownAeril-sol, daughter of Kirn Arlbeth, had been viewed with scorn and suspicion even before her birth. The citizens of Damar believe Aerin's mother was a witch who enspelled the King in hopes of begetting an heir to the crown. Her black magic has tained the kingdom ever since.Uncertain of the past, Aerin decides to forge her own future by challenging the lashing tongues of the dragon's fire. Aerin's proficiency as "the Dragonslayer" srets her on a quest for the stolen Crown of Damar, believed to be in the hands of rebellious northerners who threaten to destroy the Damarian people and their home forever."A work of considerable imaginative power." --The Philadelphia Inquirer