Leftrin, captain of the liveship Tarman, also has an interest in the hatching as does Bingtown newlywed, Alise Finbok, who has made it her life's work to study all there is to know of dragons.īut the creatures which emerge from the cocoons are a travesty of the powerful, shining dragons of old. Like everyone else, Thymara is fascinated by the return of dragons: it is as if they symbolise the return of hope to their war-torn world. But her father saved her and her mother has never forgiven him. Born with black claws and other aberrations, she should have been exposed at birth. People are changed by the Rain Wilds, subtly or otherwise. With its acid waters and impenetrable forest, it is a hard place for any to survive. Guided by the great blue dragon Tintaglia, they came from the sea: a Tangle of serpents fighting their way up the Rain Wilds River, the first to make the perilous journey to the cocooning grounds in generations. “The dwarves call it Vingar.Return to the world of the Liveships Traders and journey along the Rain Wild River in this standalone adventure from the author of the internationally acclaimed Farseer trilogy. Aleks wore a pensive frown, his brown eyes narrowed. They stood there, watching the shifting, undulating, shadow in the water. The thing was massive, at least four times bigger than Norwick, and hideous. Zaria half-expected a whale fluke, but its tail looked like an eel’s. There were no scales anywhere on it, as far as she could see. The top of its head bore a wavy crest that trailed down its neck.Īs the creature dove beneath the water, it flipped its body into the air. It had a seahorse face, with a long snout, and no ears. The water-wyvern was magnificent with a gray-and-white pattern. Zaria and her friends gasped as it breached the surface, blowing out a large stream of air. “At least it can’t fly,” said Geirr, relieved. A water-wyvern might not have much in the way of limbs, being adapted to the water, but it has enough leg-power to propel itself onto the shore and attack.” “We’ll have to be careful as we near the shoreline. “It eats whatever it can catch,” Hector said forebodingly. “Will we have to feed it to get by it? What does a water-wyvern eat?” Aleks asked, readjusting his backpack and bow. Its job is to keep out all trespassers.”Ĭhristoffer sighed, disappointed. “The water-wyvern is the guardian of Malmdor. “Look on the bright side, mate,” Filip said, clapping Geirr on the back. “It once devoured an entire legion of dwarf handlers because they smelled bad. “That’s what I was afraid of,” Geirr said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. It can’t escape – water-wyverns aren’t able to live out of water for very long. It was captured and transported to this quarry lake over a century ago. Water-wyverns are wild, unpredictable creatures. “The beastie is not friendly,” said Hector, grimly. “The flying snow leopard-bear-bat thing you told me about? Even better,” Christoffer said, rubbing his hands together in glee. “You haven’t seen a winter-wyvern,” Zaria said. No wonder they can’t find it in Scotland.” “Is that like the Loch Ness Monster?” asked Christoffer. “What is that?” asked Filip, having spotted the creature at the same time. Something large swam in the center, too deep to see clearly. Zaria could see the lakebed in the shallower areas. Its deep blue water was smooth and glassy, protected from wind by the rocky walls and surrounding forest. The lake was nestled at the bottom of a deep, steep pit. Below them in a wide clearing was an abandoned quarry filled with water.

They reached the entrance before night fell, and in the gloomy dusk that slipped around them like a cloak, they reached the edge of the forest and stopped. Hector was right that the group wasn’t far from Malmdor. How can anyone be tricked twice? Isn’t there even a saying about that? Zaria Fierce is determined to get things right this time and with the Drakeland Sword in her possession she’s ready to take on trolls, dragons, and whatever else may come… but first she and her friends are going to have to figure out just how much trouble they’re in at home. Summary in a Nut-Shell: Zaria Fierce must face her toughest challenges yet – dragons, her birth mother, and more in the Under Realm.

Dragon keeper trilogy