The Dragon Bard
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
I wiped the snow from my eyes to see the ice-crusted, toothed, and scaled maw of an ice dragon. The full cold of winter from its hissing breath flowed over me as I trembled on the ground, partly from the cold and partly out of fear. Its head rose up; ice clinging to its lower jaw, and the white scales gleamed brightly in the sun like a large glacier. The eyes of the dragon were milky blue as it observed me, so small in comparison. Its nose was thicker, and the bridge had a raised section where little spikes created a mini sort of crest upon its head. Frills lined its neck and faded blue stripes colored its otherwise white scales. The dragon’s head snaked down to me and sniffed, and then it hissed a question with a cold gust of breath. “Are you . . . a priest?” the dragon asked My name is Dalen, son of Gunor, of the great land of Kilian. I am a bard, one of the revered storytellers and lore keepers of the world. It is a bard’s task to compile oral histories into written word and song. To be a master bard had always been my one dream. Little did I know that it would bring me into a world where not knowing what was lurking behind the corner was the norm.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
The Dragon Bard is the first in a two book series about a young bard named Dalen. In the beginning, Dalen is the typical young man, looking to become a master bard to gain fame and fortune. He inherits a set of “dragon treaties” from his former master, and decides to achieve his goals by telling the histories of the dragons from their point of view. At first the quest seems to be fairly straightforward, although he quickly finds that nearly all of his preconceived ideas about dragons are wrong. Looking at things from the point of view of an ancient intelligent race causes Dalen to reassess his goals and values. As his quest progresses, he learns that the “treaties” are much more than they seem. Guided by forces far beyond his control, he becomes enmeshed in a centuries-old conflict between the forces of good and an ancient spreading evil, and learns that the things he had thought were important pale alongside the truly important values of honor, humility, faith, courage, and self-sacrifice.
About the Author
Heather Shropshire, a music director in Wyoming, grew up in a university setting. An avid lover of animals and the natural world, she has eclectic interests varying from music to history/archeology/paleontology and animal behavior. She spent a large portion of her time either on campus with her father, a physics professor at Idaho State University, or with her mother, a small animal/exotic animal veterinarian. Her upbringing taught her to appreciate and respect various cultures and perspectives.