Galleries of Stone

A magical master sculptor banished from his homeland hires the only Flox boy with the nubs to take his hand. In places where the Twelve Mountains are, honored for their magic, children are tested for affinity. But, the villages in Morven's foothills no longer remember stone lore. The Flox have, forgotten the Statuary and the wonders that fill its winding galleries. All that remains are stories to frighten children and gossip about a monster living in the heights. Necessity drives Freydolf to hire a Flox servant. Tupper Meadowsweet isn't the cleverest child, but he's brave enough to follow his Pred master onto Morven, where he finds hints of faraway lands, diverse races, unique customs, long histories... and danger.

After years of searching for someone brave enough, Tupper Meadowsweet finds her at Pennyflax & Quince. Tupper Meadowsweet is now a young man by Flox reckoning, but he no longer fits in with his own people. Wild hair, stealthy grace, and foreign fashions make it obvious that he's lived with Pred, since boyhood. In his own quiet way, he's been on the lookout for someone willing to follow him onto the legendary Moonlit Mountain. The last place he expected to find her was in his own hometown. Meanwhile, Master Freydolf faces the challenge of finally shaping his masterpiece, while the Statuary's close-knit community deals with new additions, cross-cultural courting traditions, magical meddling, mixed ancestry, and kidnapping.