City of Dragons

The dragon Tintaglia and her mate IceFyre fly to a sandy oasis they visit often where they are ambushed by men. They manage to fight off the men but Tintaglia is stabbed by a spear in her armpit and is struck in the wing by an arrow. When feasting on the corpses of the men a boy, still alive, reveals they were blackmailed by the Duke of Chalced in order to harvest some of the dragons body parts, which the Duke believes will cure his illness.

A messenger tells the Duke that there has been no word from his missionary's in the rain wilds. After the messager is taken away to be flogged the Chancellor informs the Duke there is still no update from the men that were sent out to the desert in order to investigate the rumour of dragons living there. The Duke says that if there is no good news by the next day then he will punish the Chancellors two sons.

In a tent, Selden, an elderling is being kept a slave. Two men come into the tent discussing the terms of the trade, and whether it is worth it to buy him, believing him to be half dragon. Selden tells them it is not true and begs to go home but they ignore him.

Near Kelsingra the queen dragon Sintara is reliving ancestral memories about mating flights when she is interrupted by the attempted flight of Kalo. Kalo tells her she should try to fly so that they can mate. He is interrupted by Ranculos, whom Sintara baits into a fight with Kalo. The fight is broken up by Mercor. Sintara's keeper, Thymara smooths out some scales on Sintara's neck as they talk about males.

• Alise Kincarron Finbok – one of the main protagonists, a self-taught scholar of dragons.
• Thymara – one of the main protagonists, keeper to Sintara.
• Sintara – one of the main protagonists, a blue dragon queen with gleaming copper eyes (Thymara's dragon).
• Captain Leftrin – one of the main protagonists, Captain of the barge Tarman.
• Sedric – one of the main protagonists, secretary to Hest Finbok, he is assigned to accompany Alise Finbok on her journey. Keeper of Relpda.
• Tats – keeper of the dragon Fente, childhood friend of Thymara and a former tattoo slave.
• Sylve – keeper of the dragon Mercor.
• Rapskal – keeper of the dragon Heeby.

Minor Characters

• Carson Lupskip – a hunter and an old friend of Leftrin's. Tends to the dragon Spit
• Davvie – a hunter (bowman) and nephew to Carson. Tends to Kalo.
• Ranculos – a scarlet, male dragon.
• Sestican – an azure male dragon with an orange filigreed mane, kept by Lecter.
• Mercor – a golden dragon with black eyes and false eye markings on his wings. tended by Sylve. Implied to have previously been the sea serpent Maulkin.
• Heeby – a small red dragon queen, tended by Rapskal. The first to fly
• Jerd – keeper of the dragon Veras.
• Fente – a green dragon queen with a nasty temperament, tended by Tats.
• Veras – a dragon, tended by Jerd.
• Arbuc – Alum's dragon.
• Kalo – a blue-black male dragon with green eyes, the largest of their clan, tended by Davvie.
• Spit – a small silver dragon tended to by Carson.
• Relpda – a small copper dragon queen, tended by Sedric.
• Kase – tends to an unnamed orange dragon, cousin to Boxter.
• Boxter – tends to an unnamed orange dragon, cousin to Kase.
• Alum – a dragon keeper to Arbuc.
• Nortel – a dragon keeper.
• Harrikin – a dragon keeper, foster brother to Lecter. He is the second oldest keeper at 20 years.
• Lecter – a dragon keeper, foster brother to Harrikin.
• Skelly – Deckhand on Tarman and niece of Leftrin.
• Big Eider – Deckhand on Tarman.
• Hennesey – Mate on Tarman.
• Hest Finbok – Husband of Alise Finbok, a rich and important Bingtown trader.
• Swarge – Tillerman of the barge Tarman.
• Bellin – Wife to Swarge, a poleman on Tarman.
• Tarman – A liveship river barge made from wizardwood.