Book excerpt: The Knights of Emerald: This epic tale takes place in a forgotten world in a time of great unrest as Amecareth, the Dark Lord of the Insect People, attempts to take over the known universe. It is the story of Kira, the purple child, born of the rape of Queen Fan of Shola by the despicable Emperor, who will ultimately bring about his downfall, and of the brave Knights of Emerald entrusted with her safety. Book 2 of the saga The Knights of Emerald, The Dragons of the Dark Emperor: Now nine years of age, the only thing Kira wants is to become a Squire and learn to fight under the tutelage of a full-fledged Knight so she can avenge the death of her parents to the hands of the Dark Emperor. But in order to protect her from the Lord of the Insect People, Wellan and the wizard Elund turn her down. Deeply hurt, Kira decides to take her fate into her own hands. She conjures up the spirit of a Knight of Emerald who died hundreds of years before and begs him to teach her how to use her weapons. Unable to force his way into the continent by the coast, Amecareth finds a new way to introduce his dragons into the human territories and the Knights of Emerald with their new squires are forced to hunt down the monsters. At the same time, the Dark Lord sends his sorcerer to attack the soldiers and bring his daughter back to him. Wellan quickly realizes that he must increase his own magic if he wishes to vanquish the sorcerer. He travels to the Kingdom of the Shadows hoping to become the apprentice of the illusive master magicians. There he will discover a darker secret ...