Deborah A. Wolf

In the days of the Sundering, Quarabala - the Seared Lands - were cursed by Akari Sun Dragon and scorched beyond all recognition. Now a cruel place inhabited by nightmare beasts, the Seared Lands are home to a desperate few....

Sulema Ja'Akari is an elite warrior, one of the desert people known as the Zeeranim. She is also the daughter of the Dragon King of Atualon, whose magic is the only thing that prevents the earth dragon from waking. Should the dragon end her sleep, their world will be destroyed....

In the heart of the singing desert, the people are fading from the world. Mothers bear few live children, the warriors and wardens are hard-pressed to protect those who remain, and the vash'ai - the great cats who call the people kithren - bond with fewer humans each year....

Siggy sees ghosts and demons, has conversations with beings she knows aren't really there, suffers from cluster headaches and coffee addiction, and has a hot temper that just won't quit....