The Seven-Petaled Shield — Deborah J. Ross

Elemental magic existed before mankind was born, and for good or ill, some of this magic seeped into the world, eventually coalescing into a monstrous entity of Fire and Ice, a threat to all humanity.

Aided by his six brothers, a legendary king found the means to stand against this incarnation of chaos, forging six magical crystals surrounding a single luminous core: the Seven-Petaled Shield. With it, they subdued the entity and imprisoned it in the far North.

But with the passing of generations, the king's line faltered and his once-great city, Meklavar, diminished until its importance was all but forgotten. Yet within its walls the remnants of the Shield still held power.

Unaware of the legendary Shield and hungry only for a mighty empire, the king of Gelon has begun a march of conquest. But what could have been merely ruthless ambition becomes potentially cataclysmic when his unstoppable army turns toward Meklavar.

As the city falls, its newly widowed queen, Tsorreh, flees with her adolescent son, Zevaron, and the heart-stone of the Shield, seeking refuge in her mother's homeland -- but there may be nowhere in her world where refuge can be found.

For with the removal of the heart-stone, the ancient power of Fire and Ice strengthens, spreading its malevolent influence across the land. And this time there is no legendary king to stop it -- merely Tsorreh and her son, caught in the chaos, desperate heirs to a shattered Shield.