As she looked into the dragon's dark gold, black-streaked eyes, wise beyond mortal knowing, Mara heard a deep, melodious voice: "Thou shalt not die here, brave Prince. Such courage and fortitude as art thine will be rewarded tenfold. Thou shalt receive a sign of thy fortune, a talisman of kings. The dragon betokens thy royal lineage. Its body possesseth great magics: The Dragon's Tooth is a weapon surpassing all others, even the tooth of the lion. The Dragon's Eye is prized beyond all gems. No steel may pierce the scales of its hide. No terror may quail the courage of its heart. Its blood healeth all wounds. Receivest thou these gifts, O Prince, for power lieth in their virtues. This token shalt thou bear upon thy shield. Thy foes shall flee in terror at its sight. All shall honor thy name, which hereafter shall be known as Sonnedragon. Takest thou the might of the dragon. It is thine." As she lies wounded on the battlefield, Mara, warrior Prince of the Northlands, receives a vision: a dragon that promises her great gifts. With the sign of the dragon upon her shield, she achieves one astounding victory after another, but soon realizes that each success comes with a terrible price. Tragedy follows her every triumph-not only in her war against the Spanish at the Northlands' borders, but in her disputes with her father, the Duke. On an alternate earth filled with wonder and danger, strange magic and courtly intrigue, Mara slowly uncovers the truth behind the inexplicable power she wields. Is the Sonnedragon real or a delusion, or is it actually a curse that has haunted her family for generations? More information at www.WapshottPress.com

Storylandia, The Wapshott Journal of Fiction, Issue 10. The novella "Death Among the Marshes," a murder mystery set in the Twenties by Kathryn L. Ramage. Visit www.storylandia.wapshottpress.com for more information.

Orlan Lightesblood is the son of the world's most powerful wizard and is training to become a wizard himself. But beyond his father's castle, he is still an innocent youth, defenseless against the evil and temptations that threaten the future laid out for him. On an alternate earth filled with wonder and danger, the wizard's son must overcome the demons of his own past and his father's enemies to survive to manhood.