The Little Dragons

Melisande and Liandra are reunited, and Melisande asks Jessa to take on a crucial task

Keiran’s find and Ev’s promise both yield important clues to the secret of the Dragon Priestesses and Liandra’s child is born.

Keiran finds what he’s looking for and Ev finally gets her opportunity to honour her promise to her mother. Torrie, King Anglewart’s heir is furious with his father, who stands in his way of making war on the Dragons and plans to marry the woman he wants to wed himself.

Two journey's begin. Melisande and her party travel east toward Mother Peg's cabin, while Gleve and Keiran make their way toward the dangerous Northern mountains, home of the Dragons.

Strangely, Liandra can read the mind of Peg and Maida’s hired man, Rafe, who can’t speak and appears to have an intellectual disability. Ev searches for another way to fulfull her promise to her dead mother. Melisande comes up with a plot, and Keiran’s memories continue to emerge.

Gleve’s friendship with Keiran and Maida’s friendship with Liandra both reach a point of crisis, with very different results.

Melisande, officially dead, becomes the Lady Merrit, a widow in the Women’s Retreat House, where Jessa and Ev are assigned to her care. Liandra, far away in the Eastlands, grieves for her, turning to her budding friendship with Maida for comfort. Keiran returns, which is both good and bad news for Gleve.

Gleve’s patient remembers who he is and the responsibility he left behind. He must leave immediately to travel home, wherever that is. Ev, too, has a responsibility. To fulfill it, she must escape. Queen Melisande’s nightmare deepens and then, abruptly, ends.

Princess Liandra insists she is not pregnant. Gleve struggles to remain professional as their patient begins to recover his memories. Queen Melisande decides to confront her husband as her worst fears come to pass.

Queen Melisande grieves. Her sons have gone into their father’s army. One daughter is dead and the other, accidentally pregnant, has gone to stay with an old Healer in the Eastern forest. Her husband is having an affair with the young daughter of a powerful family. She suspects he wants to get her out of the way so he can re-marry. Meanwhile Peg and Maida struggle to find what remains of the Dragon Priestess’s knowledge while hiding their project from their unhappy royal guest.