An old King dies . . . a new King ascends. "Pamela Dean is a hidden treasure, a writer other writers adore: her quirky, literate characters, her munchy prose, her depth-charge stories. More readers should know about her. And now--maybe they will!"--Jane Yolen
Ted, Laura, Patrick, Ruth, and Ellen are still trapped within the Secret Country--a land that they invented as a game, now somehow a reality. They must play their parts, fumbling as they go, even as life veers from their original script.
When the King is poisoned, Ted--"Prince Edward"--must take the throne, although he has no idea how to rule a country, battle magic, or inspire followers. Soon enough, he will have to do all three, because the Secret Country is on the verge of war with the treacherous Dragon King--a war that will send one of the five into the Land of the Dead . . .
Volume Two of the Secret Country Trilogy