Dimensions
147 x 227 x 28mm
On the night of her birthday, the eaglet Dandelion's parents are killed by Kawaka, a rogue Archaopteryx returning in defeat from war. Dandelion, who has not yet learned to fly, falls to the forest floor where she is discovered by Fleydur, the prince of Sword Mountain who is also returning from war. Although the traditions and class rules of Sword Mountain dictate that only members of the court can live on the summit, Fleydur convinces his father the king to allow Dandelion, a poor valley eagle, to stay in the castle until she recovers.
Many of the court eagles, including Sigrid, the queen and Fleydur's step-mother, don't approve of Fleydur's liberal ideas-mixing with lowly valley birds and, worse, bringing music to the mountain. As Dandelion struggles to fit in at school and learn to fly, she finally finds a friend in Cloud-wing. But what will she do when he leaves for Rockbones Academy, a boys-only martial arts school?
Meanwhile, Kawaka teams up with Tranglarhad, an owl bent on stealing the eagle's Leasorn gem (a magical singing gem that can summon Swordbird). He tricks the queen into hiring him as a tutor and takes advantage of the court intrigue.
When Fleydur is accused of stealing the Leasorn gem, it is up to Dandelion and Cloud-wing to recover it, turn the tables on the wicked owl and archaeopteryx, and rescue Fleydur.
As in SWORDBIRD and SWORD QUEST, Nancy Yi Fan has created a complex fantasy bird world and an adventure tale in which class struggle and gender identity feature, and justice and bravery prevail.
