National Network for Equitable Library Service

Adventurous maidens and sinister mages clash in these magical tales by a World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and "one of the all-time masters" (Peter Straub). Three different young women, each endowed with extraordinary abilities, pit their powers against warriors, wizards, and royal intrigue to preserve their worlds and stem the tide of evil. Mirror of Destiny: Transformed by a powerful talisman, the orphaned apprentice Twilla defies her king-and escapes her fate as an unwilling bride-in favor of joining a crusade to rescue the vanquished of an ancient magical war and help save the destiny of a disputed land. The Scent of Magic: An orphaned child and captive scullery maid, young Willadene's uncanny ability to smell the magic of the natural world delivers her from servitude-to the highest circles of the Ducal court. But depravity and corruption infest the castle, and the power that has been her fortune now draws her into a maelstrom of evil. Wind in the Stone: An infant girl, abandoned after her mother's death and raised to young womanhood by the strange denizens of the Forest, discovers the wondrous earth magic she wields. Now, Sulerna must confront the brutal sorcerer who enslaved her homeland-and battle an enemy who is both her bane and blood: the twin brother she lost to darkness.