The Veiled Dragon

The Veiled Dragon, by Troy Denning, is the twelfth book in The Harpers series.

“

The Bedine witch Ruha has left the parched sea of Anauroch on her quest to become a Harper. That quest takes her to Elversult, where she must prove herself by discovering who has poisoned Lady Yanseldara. Simple enough. Find the poison and track the poisoner.

Simple… until the Cult of the Dragon, a Shou Prince, an oriental merchant, and an ancient dracolich get involved.

As Ruha soon discovers, life is never simple for a Harper, and poisoner's plots hold more treacherous twists than the tail of a Shou dragon.

”

Summary[]

After a failed mission in Voonlar, the newly-recruited agent of the Harpers named Ruha booked passage across the Dragonmere aboard the Storm Sprite, the ship of Captain Fowler. When they encountering a Shou caraval called the Ginger Lady being attacked at sea by a black dracolich, Ruha, Fowler and the crew of the Storm Sprite interceded and defeated the great beast, losing their own ship in the process. Ruha, Fowler and one other passenger aboard the Sprite were rescued from the water by Minister Hsieh Han Liu aboard the Ginger Lady and taken to the village of Pros, so that Ruha could still meet with her contact in the Harpers. While managing to evade the hostilities of the Cult of the Dragon, Ruha managed to secure a meeting with Vaerana Hawklyn, Lady Constable of Elversult and hear of how Lady Lord Yanseldara was suddenly afflicted with some sort of catatonic state. Ruha was tasked with venturing into the local Shou embassy of the Ginger Palace and uncover the whereabouts of the Lady Lord's staff, that may provide a clue to curing her condition.

Having gained admittance into the embassy, Ruha became embroiled in the delicate power struggle between Prince Kao Chou Tang, Princess Wei Dao, and Minister Liu. Due to the meddling of a Dragon Cult operative, Ruha was quickly labeled a spy and accused of being involved with the disappearance of Prince Tang's mother Lady Feng, who was in fact abducted by the same undead dragon, Cypress. After clearing her name and earning trust among some of the Shou nobles, Ruha helped negotiate a tenuous peace between the powers of Elversult and the Ginger Palace, for the sake of both Yanseldara and Lady Feng alike. They came to understand that Cypress needed specially-pressed ylang blossoms imported from Shou Lung to create a love potion, that would be used in a ritual by Lady Feng to forever unite the dragon's soul to that of Yanseldara, who very soul had been taken by the dragon some time before. Meanwhile, Prince Tang left the palace to rescue his mother himself, seeking to prove his worth to the Shou royal family, honor his ancestors, and demonstrate his bravery for Ruha.

During the negotiations, Ruha discovered that a member of the Maces of Elversult named Tombor the Jolly was in fact the cult spy. Unable to share her revelation with Vaerana without spoiling her advantage, Ruha was left unable to take action on the matter. Using Ruha's exhaustion and need to rest to his advantage, Tombor killed Fowler and retrieved a batch of ylang blossoms for Cypress, that unbeknownst to him, were unusable for the ritual. Prince Tang's military expedition into the dragon's swamp proved disastrous, and he was forced to flee for his life. After receiving the useless ylang blossoms, Cypress went into a frenzy and wracked destruction along the lands outside of Elversult.

Ultimately, Prince Tang was able to navigate Cypress' lair and ensure his mother's safety, and together the two managed to destroy the spirit gem embedded within the Yanseldara's staff, allowing the undead dragon's to be permanently destroyed. Ruha and the Maces were able to draw Cypress into a battle in the city of Elversult itself, temporarily stunning the dracolich beneath Hillshadow Lake and annihilating its undead form in a great conflagration on Temple Hill. To celebrate their victory and newfound bonds, Elversult and the Ginger Palace enjoyed a grand feast, and Ruha made a good name for herself amongst the Harpers.