As the dragon-child, Athalinda will need to draw heavily on her innermost resources to take on the powerful enemies coveting the dragon's Pearl and the powers it confers.The question is – how to distinguish friend from foe ?Perils are rife for those who toil up the wild slopes of the Tien Shan mountain range on the quest for the dragon's Pearl. When the little party finally reach their destination, there is little cause for hubris as their expedition raises more questions than it answers.Doubts about Ivan keep torturing Athalinda on the journey home. When she meets the enigmatic Evgueni, a smooth operator materializing out of Ivan's long-lost past, her hard-earned certainties begin to crumble before the rug is pulled right from under her feet. She needs to recoup and fast - Now, more than ever before, she must trust her judgment and make the right decisions. Fortunately, she is not alone; Anghel, Evgueni's saturnine dogsbody, has taken a liking to her and makes no bones about it...