Age of Fire

"Gray dragons are different, my son. It means you must be careful; your skin will be pierced more easily. But on the other hand, having no hunger for gems and gold will allow you to live in the Upper World and far from men."High in the mountains, deep in the safety of a cave, a brood of dragons is born. The four young ones are among the last of a dying breed-the final hope for dragons' survival. But hope shatters when a murderous group of slave-trading dwarves breaks into the cave, leaving death and destruction in its wake.Only young Auron, a rare scaleless gray dragon, manages to escape. Armed with nothing save wit, claws, and a boundless determination to survive, he seeks his kind. But to find other dragons-or at least discover who's killing them off-Auron will have to search a world of mercenary elves, vicious humans, and dangers of all kinds. Winning allies in the strangest places-and finding himself along the way-Auron embarks on the journey of a thousand-year lifetime.

"I am Wistala. Wistala the great dragon huntress, a silent green avenger, dropping from the clouds..."Such is the mettle of young Wistala, one of four dragons born high in the mountains, as she breaks free of her shell. The last of a dying breed, the siblings learn of their legacy from their devoted mother and protective father-until the fateful day when their dark sanctuary is invaded by a group of slave-trading dwarves.Pushed to freedom by their mother as she battles for their lives, Wistala and her scaleless gray brother, Auron, find themselves alone in the Upper World. And when Auron sacrifices himself so that she may live, Wistala must overcome her grief and fear to find others of her kind-and bring her wrath to bear on those who would destroy them.

"I'm sorry, hatchling. You are an outcast. You must learn to overcome on your own..."Such was the welcome the young, nameless Copper dragon received upon breaking free of his shell. Crippled while battling his brother for dominance in the nest, he is all but ignored and discarded by his mother and father-the last of a dying breed. Forced to fend for himself, he learns the hard lessons of survival. When he's captured by vengeful dwarves, he buys his own life with the lives of those who rejected him-and pays a price he never imagined.Fleeing his guilt, the Copper finds himself far from all he knows. Rescued by unlikely, bloodthirsty saviors, he makes an extraordinary trek to the last bastion of free dragonkind. In this secret civilization, he finds a new family. They too are wary of the crippled, wild-bred dragon, but this time he's determined to prove himself equal to any enemy, on four legs or two, from the highest mountaintop to the deepest cave, as he pits his strength, wit, and courage in a contest for the survival-and domination-of dragonkind itself.

Scattered across a continent and scarred by their harsh experiences on the path to adulthood, the three dragon siblings are among the last of a dying breed-the final hope for their species' survival.After being separated by dwarf slave traders who found their nest, the brothers and sister-Auron, the rare scaleless gray; Wistala, the green female; and Copper, the embittered cripple-are reunited. But their reunion is not a happy one, since the three find themselves at odds over the coming human war. Auron thinks dragons should have no part of the affairs of humans. Wistala believes dragons and men can peacefully coexist. And Copper has designs of his own for the world.And the civilized humans who have turned to Copper for assistance against their savage enemies have just given him the perfect opportunity to fulfill his plans.

Scattered across a continent, three dragon siblings are among the last of a dying breed. Wistala, sister to the Copper who is now Emperor of the Upper World, has long thought humans the equal of dragons. She leads the Firemaids, fierce female fighting dragons who support the Hominids of Hypatia. Which puts her at odds with both her brothers, for the Copper has no use for the humans he now dominates, and AuRon, the rare scaleless grey, would isolate himself and his family from both the world of men and the world of dragons. But as the Copper's empire roils with war, greed, and treachery, the time is fast approaching when Wistala will have to choose who to stand with-and fight for.

Scattered across a continent, three dragon siblings are among the last of a dying breed-the final hope for their species' survival.After fighting a war that cost each of them kingdom and land, friends and family, honor and glory, the dragon siblings have removed themselves from the troubles of the world. But the order they fought to establish is falling apart. Ancient sorceries have been awakened. Dragons battle dragons. And men are taking up arms against their winged overlords. Now, the three must unite once more to save dragonkind from extinction, before the chaos and fire of war consume them all...and the world with them.