Tears of War

“...brilliantly written...somehow Trosper

displays great skill as a writer that is

worth teaching to the other fantasy

writers, especially new ones, on how

to write the perfect dragon and

magician-themed fantasy story.”

- Lit Amri, reviewer, Readers’ Favorite -

“...a rich fantasy story with beautiful

world building and a large cast of endearing

characters. I would recommend this book

to fans of epic fantasy adventures. I look

forward to reading the next book in the series.”

-
Sophie Moss, award-winning author

of “The Selkie Spell”
-

“The descriptions, creativity, and characterization

are amazing, but the story is better...magical,

beautiful, and suspenseful, and should be read by

any person who loves a good book.”

-
Jeff LaFerney, author of “Jumper”
-

“A masterpiece in fantasy...”

-
Katie Jennings, bestselling author

of “Breath of Air”
-

“...a great and entertaining read. A must if

you are a dragon lover...”

-
Annamaria Bazzi, reader
-

“...an absolute wonderful read. The characters are

well-defined and drive the story...”

- Jennifer Donohoe, reader -

“...Ms. Trosper has opened up the possibility of

recreating a new Dragon-rider centric community, and

I look forward to the next installment.”

- Richard King, reader -

Also by A.D. Trosper

The Dragon's Call Series

Embers at Galdrilene

Ashes and Spirits

Other Titles

Bound by Time

Available Early Spring 2014

The Legend of Christmas Magic

Tears of War

Copyright © 2013 A.D. Trosper

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Published by

Silver Spirit Publishing

ISBN-13: 978-0615883243

ISBN-10: 0615883249

The Design Team

Cover design, interior book design,

eBook design, map design and editing

by Blue Harvest Creative

www.blueharvestcreative.com

Visit the Author

www.facebook.com/adtrosper

www.twitter.com/adtrosper

www.adtrosper.wordpress.com

For Betsy

First of all, I would like to thank
my readers. You are the best.

Thank you also to my

wonderful husband for all

of your support.

To my children, even if you do

argue like wet cats in a sack.

To my beta readers, your insight
and support is invaluable.

And to my writing friends,

your encouragement means

so much to me.

To my parents for always

believing in me.

To Roxie, whose wagging tail

always brings joy to my day.

And last, but not least,

to Blue Harvest Creative

for all of your incredible work
and attention to detail.

K
alila staggered as exhaustion swept through her. The soles of her bare feet burned, leaving smears of blood with each step. She stumbled to a stop, her eyes sweeping the endless grass waving in the cold wind. A shiver racked her body while the wind tore at her ragged dress and whipped her hair into her face. Kalila pushed the dirty, golden strands away and ran her tongue over her dry lips.

She sucked a cold breath down her parched throat. Where was she? Was she still going west or wandering in circles? Everything looked the same. Kalila turned around, searching for something–anything—to use as a landmark. She couldn’t even tell the position of the sun through the thick blanket of clouds.

Everywhere, the tall grass waved like a green ocean. The newly formed seed heads bobbed up and down. Were they telling her to go forward or mocking her?

Cold moisture landed on her cheek. Kalila looked up as more drops fell, driving into her face with the strength of the wind behind them. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, letting the rain soak her tongue and lips. Thirst burned in her throat like fire.

Kalila opened her eyes and looked around again. There had to be something to catch the water in. A drink. Oh, the desperate need for a drink! She’d gained her freedom; was a drink so much to ask? Nothing else mattered at the moment. She would happily die on this empty ocean of grass if she could just have one drink.