Only three more days until the release of Conquest of Greystone Valley! That means only three days left until the end of the Great Greystone Valley Giveaway, and it means it’s time for another sneak preview.

Sarah made a lot of friends in the original Greystone Valley, and some of them are back to join her on a new adventure. Each of her friends has grown and changed a little bit, but they’re still ready to help. Here’s a look at the three old friends joining our heroine on her path.

Kay

“I’ve never really been able to control my spells, but I keep on trying anyway. And you know what? I’m getting a lot better because I’m willing to take those risks. Sure, there are the times when I’ve turned myself into a frog or turned inanimate objects into snakes or added a few extra eyes or toes to somebody…”

“Or thrown us a city block away while lighting a building on fire,” Carrie added.

“Or flooded a tunnel,” Keeley joined in. “Or made your nose grow or—”

“That’s enough,” Kay interrupted.

Kay is the first person Sarah met when she came to Greystone Valley, so it only makes sense that he’s back again. Even though somebody scrambled Sarah’s memories so she doesn’t recognize him at first, he and she remain close yet antagonistic friends.

The last time around, Kay relied on his father’s spellbook to cast magic. However, that spellbook was destroyed by the warlord Baelan. This time around, he’s learned to wing it and cast spells without a book – he just imagines what he wants the magic to do and then tries to give that vision form. This makes his spells more potent, but also increases the chance that they might backfire.

Dax

“Do you really think you can beat me, old man?”

“Almost certainly not,” Dax said. “But if there must be a fight to the death, the first person to lose might as well be poor old Dax.”

The thirteenth son of the thirteenth son, Dax is exactly as unlucky as that title implies. A visitor to Greystone Valley from another world, he is known for his constant complaining and his excellent swordsmanship, the latter of which is only tempered by his squeamishness at the sight of blood.

Dax hasn’t changed very much since Sarah knew him, but it turns out the two have more of a connection than they realized. The old warrior has also shared some adventures with Sarah’s mom, although both of them have changed quite a bit from those old days.

Keeley

“Keeley’s changed a lot in the year you were away, hasn’t she?” she asked cheerfully.

The dragon perched on her shoulder. Sarah scratched her gently under the chin. She studied Keeley carefully—some of her memories were still hazy, but to Sarah, the tiny dragon looked the same as she always had.

“I know,” she said at last. “You’ve, uh . . . grown so much.”

Her diminutive companion puffed out her chest proudly. “Thank you for noticing. Keeley has grown a whole inch. And she’s learned how to roar!” She let out a short but very loud roar that left Sarah’s
ears ringing.

As cheerful as Dax is gloomy, Keeley is a hyperactive seven-inch-long dragon who happens to occasionally spit house-sized fireballs. She’s harmless enough to her friends, but her tiny claws and ability to breathe fire make her very dangerous to foes.

Keeley has placed each of the companions under the protection of the dragons, which should keep them safe during their travels. Unfortunately, the laws of Greystone Valley have changed since Sarah’s last adventure, and the protection of dragons doesn’t mean quite as much as it used to.

With so many friends both new and old to help Sarah in her new adventure, it takes a truly dangerous villain to pose a threat to our heroes. You’ll find out just how dangerous the mysterious Melania is when Conquest of Greystone Valley goes on sale this Halloween!

 

Image: Jessica Von Braun