About the Book
Shannivar is a young warrior, skilled in horsemanship and archery and
raised by her uncle, the clan chieftain. When all the other young
warrior-women have set aside their bows and arrows for husbands, she
still dreams of glory.
Desperate to resist the imperialistic arm of the nearby growing empire, all of the clans of her nation are
gathering to propose an alliance with each other and nearby,
still-independent countries. As Shannivar and her fellow delegates
travel to the meeting, they encounter a stranger, Zevaron, heir to the
magical Seven-Petaled Shield. Zevaron also seeks to halt the empire’s
expansion on behalf of his own fallen lost nation and joins forces with
Shannivar. Shannivar has never met anyone like Zevaron, with his aura of power and quiet assurance.
Soon the clan gathering is
ready, except for the mysterious absence of the clan from the far north. When the ragged band of the missing delegates finally arrive, they tell strange and ominous stories of wolves running mad, reindeer turning
cannibal, and man-sized, upright lizards, called stone-drakes.
Zevaron, bestowed with the ancient central petal of the mystical
Seven-Petaled Shield, feels a great emanation of danger from the north
upon learning this news. Together, he and Shannivar set out on a journey to discover the source of these dangers — a quest even the prophets
believe will fail.
