Orphaned Ren, a girl who can transform into a lynx, is known as queen of the forest where she lives. Her lynx brother Rys and wolf friend Czarn are her closest companions. Lukasz is the last of the Wolf-Lords, the youngest of 10 human brothers revered for killing dragons and other monsters. While Ren seeks to save her forest from evil creatures that seem tied to the appearance of the Golden Dragon, Lukasz is searching for the last of his brothers, all of who set off to slay the Golden Dragon only to never return. After a dramatic meeting, Ren and Lukasz join forces with soldier Kozmar, scholar Jakob, an Unnaturalist who studies magical creatures, and Felka, Jakob's friend, to hunt the Golden Dragon in her lair. The seven traveling companions, all white, are locked in an uneasy truce; all have secrets in their past, some unknown even to themselves, all are struggling with their own questions and choices, and trust issues abound even as there is an obvious, growing attraction between Ren and Lukasz. Alternating chapters follow the group on its quest and tell the story of what happened to Lukasz and his brothers after they fled their home following a devastating dragon attack a decade before. This rich and riveting fantasy is a complex, original story drawing from Eastern European/Polish folklore and its legends of dragons and monsters and mythical beasts ... oh my! (Age 12 and older)