Dragon Jousters Series by Mercedes Lackey

THE SECRET OF THE DRAGONSVetch was an Altan serf working the land which had once been his family's farm. Young and slight, Vetch would have died of overwork, exposure, and starvation if not for the anger which was his only real sustenance--anger that he had lost his home and family in a war of conquest waged by the dragon-riding Jousters of Tia. Tia had usurped nearly halt of Alta's lands and enslaved or killed many of Vetch's countrymen... moreTHE SECRET OF THE DRAGONSVetch was an Altan serf working the land which had once been his family's farm. Young and slight, Vetch would have died of overwork, exposure, and starvation if not for the anger which was his only real sustenance--anger that he had lost his home and family in a war of conquest waged by the dragon-riding Jousters of Tia. Tia had usurped nearly halt of Alta's lands and enslaved or killed many of Vetch's countrymen. Sometimes it seemed that his entire cruel fate revolved around dragons and the Jousters who rode them.But his fate changed forever the day he first saw a dragon.From its narrow, golden, large-eyed head, to its pointed emerald ears, to the magnificent blue wings, the dragon was a thing of multicolored, jeweled beauty, slim and supple and quite as large as the shed it perched on. Vetch, almost failed to notice the Jouster who stood beside him. "I need a boy," the rider had said, and suddenly Vetch found himself lifted above the earth and transported by dragon-back to a different world.Vetch was to be trained as a dragon-boy, and he hardly believed his luck. The compound seemed like paradise: he could eat until he was full, and all he had to do was care for his Jouster's dragon, Kashet.It didn't take long for Vetch to realize that Kashet was special--for unlike other dragons, Kashet was gentle by nature and did not need the tranquilizing tala plant to make her tracttable. Vetch became determined to learn the secret of how Kashet had been tamed. For if Kashet could be tamed, perhaps Vetch could tame a dragon of his own. And if he could, then he might be able to escape and bring the secret of dragon-taming back to his homeland of Alta. And that secret, might prove to be the key to Alta's liberation.... less

DRAGON RIDERVetch had done the unimaginable. He had secretly raised his own baby dragon, a crimson female he named Avatre, and when she first took flight he had been on her back. Although Avatre was new to flight, with the help of his trainer and friend, the dragon Jouster Ari, he had managed to evade pursuit, escaping from the compound that housed the dragon-riding troops of Tia, his homeland's enemies... moreDRAGON RIDERVetch had done the unimaginable. He had secretly raised his own baby dragon, a crimson female he named Avatre, and when she first took flight he had been on her back. Although Avatre was new to flight, with the help of his trainer and friend, the dragon Jouster Ari, he had managed to evade pursuit, escaping from the compound that housed the dragon-riding troops of Tia, his homeland's enemies. Aided by the nomadic tribes of the desert, Vetch and Avatre had crossed the vast sands heading north toward the lands still held by Alta.It was Vetch's plan to convey to his half-conquered homeland the secret which he hoped would be the key to Alta's liberation: how to tame dragons. If he imparted this secret to the Altan rulers, would it not give them the edge they needed to throw off their conquerors despite their lesser numbers? And it seemed that his good luck was holding when, after saving a young priestess of noble blood from the dangers of the Great Mother River, he was given entree into the dragon Jouster compound of Alta City.But Vetch, now calling himself by his birth name of Kiron was completely ignorant of the true forces that controlled Alta. For though the royal Great Ones sat on the Altan throne, they did not truly rule. In Alta the Magi, the all- powerful practitioners of sorcery, held the populace--royalty and commoner alike--under the sway of a mysterious weapon. The Magi claimed that the Eye of Light would forever protect their land from Tia--incinerating enemy troops as far away as the seventh canal. But were the Magi really interested in rotecting their land from outside invaders? Or would Kiron find that Alta was burdened with a far greater threat than an enemy kingdom--a threat from within its own borders? less

THE LOST CITY OF THE DESERTKiron had achieved more than he had ever dreamed possible. On the back of his dragon, Avatre, he had crossed the vast desert and reached Alta, the kingdom of his birth. Once there, he had been accepted into the Jousters compound and had shared his most valuable secret: how to raise and tame dragons.But there was also a dark side to Kiron's life... moreTHE LOST CITY OF THE DESERTKiron had achieved more than he had ever dreamed possible. On the back of his dragon, Avatre, he had crossed the vast desert and reached Alta, the kingdom of his birth. Once there, he had been accepted into the Jousters compound and had shared his most valuable secret: how to raise and tame dragons.But there was also a dark side to Kiron's life. For he had come to learn that a powerful and unethical magical order, the Magi, were controlling Alta by systematically draining the other, gentler, magical orders of their powers--thus strengthening themselves. But that was only part of the evil picture. For Kiron soon realized that the Magi were plotting to take over and rule Alta. They had built a terrible weapon, the Eye of Light, which could kill from afar and would support their reign with terror.Once more Kiron had risen to the occasion and through careful planning had managed to flee Alta with all the Jousters and dragons, some members of the royal family, and close friends. They had escaped to the Lost City of the desert, a place now called Sanctuary.Kiron knew that they had to hide and increase their numbers before they would have a ghost of a chance against the Magi. For it was just a matter of time before the Magi found the hiding place of the rebels and attacked.Could Kiron and his allies muster their forces in time to face the Magi? And how would they counter the deadly effects of the Eye of Light? less

In the fourth and final novel of Mercedes Lackey's Dragon Jousters series, Kiron, the man who had once been a dragon-boy called Vetch, has united the dragon riders and managed to rid their world of both war and magical domination... moreIn the fourth and final novel of Mercedes Lackey's Dragon Jousters series, Kiron, the man who had once been a dragon-boy called Vetch, has united the dragon riders and managed to rid their world of both war and magical domination. But are the evil Magi really gone for good? As Kiron tries to build a new civilization at the site of an abandoned cliff dweller's city, called Aerie, conflicts arise, and he soon realizes there is a vast conspiracy at work, which includes individuals who have infiltrated every walk of life-even his own family. Once the heads of the Magi, these conspirators are determined to regain their sinister control. less