Undercover Mage

Sutcliffe's fantasy trilogy mixes political intrigue, a love story and a varied cast. Its world includes river dragons with a buried history and the Mages' Guild, a magical order built on deceit. The story follows a young spy mage on a secret assignment, along with a rebellious half-mage and a bird caller with extraordinary gifts. The dragon, which has grown to resent the Guild, wants amends for the past.

The trouble begins with a drought. A sullen river dragon has stopped the rain, and crops are wilting under endless sunshine. The provinces respond by planning a festival of fiercely contested dragon boat races, meant to placate the creature. Not everyone supports the scheme, and acts of sabotage start to pile up. Desperate, Riverfall sends a messenger to the remote Mages' Guild, whose wall is protected by deadly wards and whose leaders keep their distance.

Mage Everand, a spy, is caught off guard when his master sends him to Riverfall to discover what is really going on. He has been told, in the strictest terms, never to reveal who he is. As his investigation deepens, one layer of intrigue after another emerges, and Everand begins to doubt everything he has taken for granted. Lamiya, a boatwoman, insists on helping him, which makes it harder to hide his purpose and to keep his feelings in check.

Everand must face an enraged dragon, a rogue half-mage and, most troubling of all, a history of betrayal and secrets at the foundation of the Guild he serves. Can he protect the provinces and set things right without giving up his integrity and sense of self?