Chantler, Scott

While waiting for Dessa, Topper, and Fisk to emerge from a healing community where he is sure they have taken shelter, Captain Drake remembers his early days as a member of the King's Dragons and the web of intrigue that his younger, more idealistic, self was drawn into, and wonders if the key to catching the three thieves could lie in his own dark past.

While Dessa and her two companions find refuge in a stable, the owner of the inn is making a deal with the smugglers and the Captain Drake and the royal guard ride in to the yard, causing chases, captures, mishaps, and narrow escapes.

Remembering his dark past as a young knight in the service of King Roderick, Captain Drake investigates long-ago mysteries in order to track down three thieves who may hold the key to finding Dessa's missing twin brother.

On the run from the Queen's Dragons and struggling to track down Dessa's missing twin brother, Dessa, Topper, and Fisk inadvertently rescue a prince and find that their actions have placed royal kingdoms and a romance at risk.

Fourteen-year-old acrobat, Dessa Redd and the circus strongman, Fisk, are recruited by Topper, the circus juggler, for the job of robbing the royal treasury of Kingsbridge, which sets off a series of adventures around the world in order to find Dessa's twin brother, who was kidnapped when they were young.

"When the Sea Wolf's crew pulls a badly injured Captain Drake out of the water, the tables are turned. Will Dessa have her nemesis thrown overboard? Or can she trust him enough to join forces against the treacherous Greyfalcon? Is it true Drake has seen Jared? Or is her brother dead, like Greyfalcon told her? Fraught with danger and brimming with intrigue and surprise, Dessa's quest has brought her face-to-face with all manner of evil--mercenary pirates, a murderous queen and a pair of black-hearted brothers thirsty for vengeance. Will she ever be reunited with her long-lost twin?"--Back cover.

"As the three thieves trek further west in search of Greyfalcon, they stumble on a kidnapping in progress. Dessa daringly rescues the victim--who turns out to be the crown prince of Medoria! The thieves are still on the run from the Queen's Dragons, so being openly celebrated by a neighboring kingdom seems like a bad idea. But it also holds a rare opportunity. The prince--who grows more and more devoted to Dessa--promises his help on her quest. However, he and his father, the King, may not see eye-to-eye."--Publisher description.

"When the Sea Wolf's crew pulls a badly injured Captain Drake out of the water, the tables are turned. Will Dessa have her enemy thrown overboard? Or can she trust him enough to join forces against the treacherous Greyfalcon? Is it true Drake has seen Jared? Or is her brother dead, like Greyfalcon told her? Will she ever be reunited with her long-lost twin?"--Back cover.

Fourteen-year-old acrobat Dessa and circus strongman Fisk are recruited by Topper, the circus juggler, for the job of robbing the royal treasury, which sets off a series of adventures around the world in order to find Dessa's twin brother.

Learning that her missing twin is on the mysterious Dark Island of Astaroth, Dessa and her friends Topper and Fisk contend with pirate treachery and navigate other obstacles in hopes of reuniting her family.