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by John Bailey (Author)
?lan - Half Eldridge. Half Castalian. Total outcast.
Helpless witness to the butchering of his parents by the invading Satyr forces, ?lan is unwillingly saved and mentored by his DragonLord Uncle, Leavenstar - that is, only after Leavenstar is persuaded not to kill the boy instead. Fear, revulsion, hatred and prejudice - ?lan is met with these violent provoking, unforgiving emotions time and time again from all quarters, but no one seems to want to explain to him why.
What ?lan does know, however, is that he will avenge his parents and he will find a way to be with his forbidden lover, the King's niece. With his Eldridge/Castalian blood slowly coming to the fore and fomenting his powers, ?lan is joined by his predestined companion, the dragon Moonshadow. Together, they may yet be able to show everyone that ?lan's true inner self is worthy and benevolent and not malevolent. But with powerful forces in turmoil both surrounding and within him, how will he choose to move forward when he cannot even be sure that his choices are his own?
A love story beleaguered by malicious intrigues, racial prejudice, and ultimate heartbreak, Rite of Passage is a cautionary and tragic tale of manipulation that harkens back to the high fantasy traditions of chivalry, power, love, and loss.
