Busy with locating information to aid in the negotiations, Shennon finds herself called repeatedly to the Dragon King. He insists she show up every day. She cannot offend the king, but she must complete her research.

Shennon Trelor: a researcher from the Shlognar realm and daughter of the famous mediator Joss Trelor. Arriving in High Cadore early, she is challenged both by her first experience in negotiations and dealing with required attendance on the Dragon King.

The Dragon King: a dragon rules over the human kingdom of High Cadore and has for nearly 500 years. He has been searching for an answer that will free him from a curse, but he has forgotten the question.

The Cadore Range is home to eight kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement, known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.

The Kankade Mercantile a popular family-run business. Maribelle is the bookkeeper, eldest daughter, and all-around entertainment for the summer-vacationing Lady Cadris.

The mix of activities makes for a busy life, which takes on an all-new challenge when a dragon stuck in his solstice stone sleep demands her help to find the parts hacked off his body over the last fifty years.

Finding slices of time to search for missing items is not the problem. It's the dragon tromping through her dreams and private daydreams that grows daily more annoying and mystifying.

Maribelle Kankade: as a clerk and bookkeeper in her parents' mercantile, she works hard to fulfill her goals and the expectations of others, which often leaves her not fulfilling her own dreams.

Nyle: an impatient dragon who can't escape from a 24-hour Solstice sleep that has lasted fifty years.

The Cadore Range is home to eight kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement, known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.

Summer and winter solstice they turn to stone and sleep, usually in groups but occasionally alone, for twenty-four hours.

Running away from her apprenticeship solved one problem, but it brought on a glut of others.

• A dragon who feels obligated to keep her safe while she ventures out on her own. She wasn't a child!
• A dragonet with no sense of self-control, and her maturing flames, scales, and flight skills making life much too exciting.
• A warrior assigned as her nanny and tutor.

Dira thought she had the first two handled, then Zane showed up, and her plans went south while the rest of her headed north into war.

Dira: a runaway who escaped the apprenticeship her uncle negotiated for her after her mother died. Surviving outside the city was tougher than she expected and landed her at the feet of dragons.

Brundar: a famous negotiator dragon who feels responsible for the young woman who stumbles into the early hours of the end of a winter solstice sleep. He determines it would be irresponsible of him to leave her to die in the frozen wilderness.

Zane Case: a dedicated loner bound by a bargain to Brundar. Zane must teach Dira to read, defend herself, and survive life on her own. He's not the most sympathetic instructor.

The Cadore Range is home to eight kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement, known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.

Crabbing boats are being vandalized. The Reboughs have been hit twice, and Lena intends to put a stop to it. As soon as she figures out who is or isn't responsible.

Her prime suspect? The new guy her father hired and seems to trust for no good reason.

Lena Rebough: feisty and intelligent, she has plans for her future, but for now she must protect her father's crab boats from whoever is sabotaging the local fishers.

Shazure: a dragon determined to keep her privacy secure and have nothing to do with anyone, including other dragons.

Jae Herssher: a questionable character new to the area. He could be part of the problem the local fishers are facing. Or he could be just who he says he is — a man looking for work among the crabbers.

The Cadore Range is home to eight kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement, known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.

Take one dragon who keeps forming crushes on human women and add one woman with a phobia of snakes—in any form.

Mix with one dragon sire determined to turn his grown dragon son into a fierce predator despite The Bargain requiring fair treatment to humans.

Someone is going to have to change their viewpoint. What are the chances it's going to be Rasmuth, the most rapscallion of a dragon in the Cadore Range?

Kimble: a dragon with a tendency to flirt with human woman. He knows he needs to get over his fascination with humans if he's to live a normal dragon life.

Mayrian Blu: Taller than most women, even most men, she can't seem to find the right job to fulfill her oversized potential.

The Cadore Range is home to eight kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement, known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.

Adrielle is the last Rovada. Mogan is the dragon who promised to watch over the family until the last Rovada dies.

Adrielle was really hoping for a better option to get the dragon to wander off.

As much as she hated to admit it, there was probably some benefit to having a dragon trailing her while she searched for a better life.

Moganaru: a dragon who just wants to be left alone. The land he has chosen for his hideaway appears to belong to the Rovada family. Not to be outdone as a negotiator, he secures his privacy and agrees to protect the last Rovada if there should ever be one.

Adrielle Rovada: last of the Rovada clan inherits Mogan, a bored dragon with issues concerning interacting with anyone. Oddly, he won't let her go anywhere alone, even when it requires following her to the city.

Kit Garner: a man of questionable character, persistence, and curiosity. He has an interest in Mogan, and Adrielle suspects his intentions will bring them nothing but trouble. Is he a thief, an activist working to take down the king, or simply a man looking for a chance to prove his worth?

The Cadore Range is home to eight kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement, known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.

It's not easy to stop being a thief, but Xiami is determined to get out of the business. Just as soon as she takes care of this last unexpected object.

Is it really theft when one is stealing from a gang of thieves?

Xiami: a former pickpocket hoping to become a responsible citizen.

Bruen: a caretaker of an ancient dragon. He keeps to himself, avoiding the city and distrusting anyone he comes across.

Gamagadar: a blind and weak dragon too old to remember how old he is. He feels responsible for Bruen and worries he won't always be there to keep the man safe.

The Cadore Range is home to eight kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement, known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.

Summer and winter solstice they turn to stone and sleep, usually in groups but occasionally alone, for twenty-four hours.

Raising dragonets wasn't the future Tess had planned. But it is the job she has until Moradori shows her marks and can be passed along to her mentor dragon. As much as she wants that glistening future, she loves the dragonet she has raised.

Everything was going great until Bastion Noble and his identical dragonet showed up.

Every mark Moradori expresses, from snapping razor-sharp scales to burps of flame, becomes one more chip in the future she hoped for.

Making a deal with Bastion to protect their dragonets was sensible, and not a little intriguing.

Who knew there was a law older than the thousand year old Bargain? Or that it called for the rending of all dragons and humans involved in its breaking?

Tess Realles: no-nonsense minder to a dragonet, Tess looks forward to leaving the dragon creche and setting out on an adventure. She just has to wait for her mischievous dragonet to grow beyond the need for a caretaker.

Bastion Noble: minder to an orphan dragonet, Bastion is casual, free-spirited, and a flirt. Somehow he keeps his dragonet out of trouble without having to watch her every activity.

Moradori and Cizirena: two adolescent dragonets who find they have more in common than the maturity stages they must navigate under the eye of a far too attentive mentor dragon and their minders.

The Cadore Range is home to eight kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement, known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.

Dakcodger loves the written word. Books don't particularly love dragons, and libraries have a firm opinion too.

Using his magic to sneak into the Royal Shlognar Library and Archives soothes his love for words.

Right up until reading plays hopscotch with his attraction to a mousy librarian.

Ruth Delmartin: the fourth daughter of the king and queen, she prefers studying in the royal library to diddling in politics like most of her siblings. The arrival of a curious scholar has her thinking of ways to aid her kingdom with a new research project he could help her with.

Dakcodger: dragon and scholar, he sneaks into the royal library and grows immediately interested in a meek librarian

The Cadore Range is home to eight kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement, known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.

Somebody has to be sneaky and make sure everybody is playing by the rules.

Tempa Blu loves to sneak, and rules matter. Keeping the kingdoms of Cadore behaving well is just a tiny, yet annoying, part of her job. Most of the time she ignores that aspect and leaves it to Todo Joklar, spymaster of Larpa, to deal with.

Once Lew Undrehal, mercenary, enters the game, she realizes the pawns on the board just might be sacrificed. And not for the greater good if she doesn't figure out who's messing with the rules.

Tempa Blu: Daughter of a former spy, she joined the Larpa spy masters group when she was ten, taking to the training like a duck in water. At nineteen, she's one of the best spies Todo Joklar has.

Lew Undrehal: a freelance mercenary, with a smile no one can resist, sells himself to the highest bidder. He won't take assassination jobs, but he loves a good sneak and swap.

Boglaruru: Tempa's ride to wherever she's posted for a mission. He's lazy, late for every appointment Tempa has, and the only dragon who can put up with her.

Ishara: Lew's closest friend and the dragon he counts on. She doesn't talk much, but she's watching all the time.

The Cadore Range is home to eight kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement, known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.

After years apart, two friends meet again. When they stumble upon a wandering dragon unfamiliar with the Cadore Range and its society, guiding it through their world produces questions they never asked.

The answers challenge their past choices.

Will they choose honesty or keep hiding behind honor and self-sacrifice?

Liesel Bekiner: secure in her wandering lifestyle.

Aiden Stark: untroubled by demanding friendships and comfortable being alone.

Their meeting sets them on a path neither imagined possible. Will habit and mistaken self-sacrifice split them apart again.

Or will the dragon they meet force them to face the lies that convinced them their dreams were impossible?

The Cadore Range is home to eight human kingdoms. They are each unique, having different ruling styles, and separated along the range. Some have long histories of interactions while others maintain their isolation.

Solstice dragons live in the mountains of the range. They are intelligent and maintain peace with the humans due to a long-standing agreement known as The Bargain to the dragons and The Don't Eat Humans Clause to the human populations.