Tamesan — Tony Shillitoe

As daughter of Harbin's leader, the Dragon Head, Tamesan is expected to learn the traditional crafts and behaviours of a good wife because a dragonwarrior will choose her as his partner when she comes of age. But Tam doesn't want to be a compliant wife. She wants to explore the mountain above her village and learn more about the world. A chance encounter with the Herbal Man, a recluse healer who lives on the mountain, gives Tam an opportunity to follow in his footsteps, against her parents' wishes.When the Harbin dragonwarriors sail south on their annual summer pilgrimage to fight dragons, Tam's older brother travels with them as an initiate, but tragedy strikes, and Tam's father and brother are lucky to return alive.For Tam, the fateful journey and her relationship with the Herbal Man reveal a dark and terrible secret that lies at the heart of her village's culture and another secret that is hidden in the mountain, and she must choose whether to expose the lies and tell the truth that will forever change everyone's lives in Harbin or stay silent and submit to the village's cherished beliefs and traditions.