Far from home, Sir Alanna, her cat Faithful and her trusty manservant Coram are on a quest to find the Dominion Jewel when she crosses paths with one of the noted Shang - a warrior class of exceptional fighters trained from infancy in all the arts, particularly unarmed combat. Liam Ironarm is Dragon, the most powerful of the Shang. Despite a cultural revulsion toward her Gift, Liam is captured by her unique tenacity and skill, and they become lovers shortly after he agrees to join their mission.
En route they become involved in a civil war and add the beautiful Princess Thayet, wanted dead by half the combatants and as a trophy wife as a means to power by the rest. She and her devoted maidservant Buriram join them too.
As they approach the Roof of the Worlds a snowstorm falls, and Alanna knows that it is at the behest of the mountain elemental who guards the Jewel - there will be no waiting out the blizzard, for it will continue until she confronts it or leaves. Unable to convince Liam, Alanna spells him to sleep so she can face this challenge on her own. She fights her way first through the bitter cold and snow, then against the monkey incarnation of Chitral, and returns to camp with the Jewel, but her relationship with Liam is over.
As they return home Alanna is iincreasingly troubled by dreams of her brother, Thom, and of the meance of the dead Duke Roger, who once threatened the crown. She discovers that Tortall is reeling from the deaths of the Queen, long ill, and the King who committed suicide shortly thereafter. Far more throubling is the discovery that Thom, goaded by the poisonous Lady Delia and by his own ego, has raised Roger fromt he dead. He says his Gift was left int he grave, but Alanna doesn't trust him.
She is, however, distracted by the toll the rising has taken on Thom - he sparkles with rust-red mage light and the life force is draining from his feverish body. The stage is set for a massive confrontation, where the fate of the kingdom will be settled one way or another.
I know this is all plot summary and no critique, but I'm exhausted from a hard night's work and resolutely sticking to my vow to review as I go. Maybe there was soemthing to be said for waiting til I had time to digest and put words of usefulness together! - Alex
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