Rowan of Rin

Bravest heart will carry on when sleep is death and hope is gone. Rowan doesn't believe he has a brave heart. But when the river that supports his village of Rin runs dry, he must join a dangerous journey to its source in the forbidden Mountain. To save Rin, Rowan and his companions must conquer not only the Mountain's many tricks but also the fierce dragon that lives at its peak.

The tormented witch Sheba has made a terrible prophecy of certain doom for the village of Rin. Skinny, timid Rowan must solve the riddle once again. The secret enemy is here. It hides in darkness, fools beware! The witch Sheba is tormented by strange visions and terrifying riddles. No one can help her except perhaps the boy Rowan, the 'skinny weakling' whose face appears mysteriously in her dreams.

It is time to choose the next Keeper of the Crystal - a magical crystal that imbues knowledge, wisdom and power. The Crystal dims. The Chooser is summoned.... When the man from the distant land of Maris delivers his mysterious message to the people of Rin, Rowan is shocked to discover what it means to him. Within hours he is travelling far from home, all the way to the glittering sea, and into the strange world of the Maris people.

Five strange fingers form fate's hand, each plays its part at fate's command.... When his little sister Annad is snatched from Rin by a monstrous flying creature, Rowan must travel to the distant land of Rin's ancient enemies, the Zebak, to rescue her. The journey is a perilous one, and Rowan and his companions have only a series of mysterious, riddling prophecies to guide them. At the end of their quest, they come upon an even greater mystery, and an extraordinary secret is revealed.

When the bitter winter ceases to end, Rowan must make the dangerous journey up the mountain to find the source of the unending cold. The witch Sheba has spoken, and Rowan knows he has no choice but to obey. The coldest winter in living memory is destroying the people of Rin, and he must do what he can to save them. But Sheba's mysterious rhyme speaks of sacrifice, and Rowan is very afraid as he sets out on the most terrifying quest of his life, her final words ringing in his ears.