Book excerpt: A magical pearl turns a young girl into warrior without pity… A dragon bound to an amulet of amber seeks the aid of a forest wizard… A bitter, crippled fairy plots revenge on her captors… A vampire stalks back alleys, seeking to turn the tables on those who prey on women… The hapless apprentice to a sorceress gets her wish fulfilled… The Arabian Nights meets Hamlet, with a feminine twist. Deborah J. Ross brings you a potpourri of dragons and toads, horses and thieves, mothers and daughters, and lovers and villains, with an occasional salamander.