The Stone of the Stars — Alison Baird

Alison Baird, a fresh new voice in the fantastic tradition of Marion Zimmer Bradley, presents the first volume in a wondrous new trilogy of adventure, magic, and mythic beasts... The City of the Dragons Ravaging the once peaceful world of Mera, the evil God-King Khalazar and his army of barbarians seek a legendary talisman of unfathomable power called the Stone of the Stars. But the only clues to its location are contained in an ancient scroll, which rests in the hands of four young fugitives. Now this quartet of innocents-a storyteller, a priest, a runaway slave, and a visionary-must find and uncover the real nature of the Stone. Pursued by Khalazar's fanatic warriors, these travelers will journey to a long-vanished mystical isle where humans once dwelt alongside dragons. And it is here, amid the haunted ruins of a city built by a forgotten race, that their quest-and their destinies-will truly begin...