Book excerpt: Loyal friends Bear, Dwarf, and Otter bid farewell to their home and embark on a magical journey to the fabled World Beyond Time and its ageless Circle of Light. With Greyfax Grimwald, the mighty wizard, they must face the dangers of the gloomy border of the Northerland, the green fires of the Palace of Darkness, evil spells and dark enchantments, the dread city of Humans, and--most fearsome of all--the evil Dark Queen.