Fourteen-year-old Jack Morgan, determined to get justice for both himself and his symbiotic dragon partner Draycos, narrowly escapes a trap set by the notorious Malison Ring, thanks to another teen Alison Kayna, with whom he once worked as a reluctant mercenary. She in turn now needs his help to get to the primitive world of Rho Scorvi. There, at the edge of a hundred-mile-wide forest, they make a shocking discovery: traveling with a group of the planets native Erasvas is a small lost colony of Draycoss race, the Kda. But unlike Draycoss people, these Kda are slow, lethargic, and unintelligent. When the Malison Ring tracks them to Rho Scorvi, Jack must shield this herd of animals from their ruthless pursuers, or they will become the newest victims of the genocide that threatens to wipe out their entire race. But even more importantly, he must protect, from the mercenaries and Alison, the dark secret of the herd and Jacks poet-warrior ally. This new sf adventure, which can be read on its own terms, is the most exciting novel yet in this popular young adult series.
