The Fireborne Blade

Disgraced knight Maddileh is journeying through the vast tunnels surrounding the heart of the dragon White Lady’s lair in order to retrieve the legendary Fireborne Blade and hopefully redeem her honor by presenting the blade to the lord she once served. Alternating with the tale of Maddileh and her squire battling their way through the dangerous tunnels are scholarly chapters detailing all the many dangers of fighting any dragon, let alone one as old and powerful as the White Lady. Maddileh reaches her aim, surprisingly intact, to discover that her real goal is actually farther away and that her supposed squire is there to steal her prize—unless she can steal his first. Bond (The Watcher in the Woods) takes the classic knight vs. dragon tale, gender-bends it a la Nicola Griffith’s Spear, gives it a bit of a sapphic twist, and then turns it into a ghost story with betrayals and body-swapping until the winners become the losers and the righteous win the day.