Kazul, the female King of the Dragons, Queen Cimorene, Morwen the witch and various other companions set out on a quest to recover the King's magic sword, stolen by the malicious wizards. Along the way, they encounter setbacks in the form of mud, wizard magic and invisible dusk-blooming chokevines. A witch that refuses to wear pointy hats and has nine cats, not one of which is black, is just one of the characters defying tradition in this unconventional fantasy. In a tale which began with a princess who proved she didn't need a prince in DEALING WITH DRAGONS (Jane Yolen/Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990) and continued in SEARCHING FOR DRAGONS (Jane Yolen/Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991), breaking time-honored expectations is the rule rather than the exception in this series. The conclusion of this volume sets the stage for a fourth book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. (Ages 10-12)