Claire walked away from her family's camp near 17th Century Strasbourg and into world-changing struggles. The fringes of the Thirty Years War engulfed her life when raiders from a marauding army attacked her family and the group with whom they were traveling. Mere Rowan, an elderly wanderer, took Claire in and comforted her. The shock and horror of the attack froze Claire's voice. She was unable to tell her story. Mere Rowan slowly discovers what happened to Claire and that her troubles are the beginning of an invasion from other worlds. Helped by a giant bear, a hummingbird and Ari, a boy they rescued from persecution, Mere Rowan and Claire share hardships, tragedies and battles with magical creatures on their road to Chaos Gate. Robert Walton is a life-long rock-climber and mountaineer. His writing about climbing has been published in the Sierra Club's "Ascent" and in "Loose Scree," a British publication. A dramatization of his story, "Three's a Crowd," was broadcast on KUSF on November 22nd, 2006 and subsequently on NPR. His three previous books for children - Joel in Tananar, The Dragon and the Lemon Tree, and Flower Tumbles - boast a wide readership. Most recently, his "Don Francisco Rides to La Paz" won first place in the Saturday Writers 2008 short story contest. Most recently, his "Dogwood Dream" won first place in the New Millennium Writing's 2011 short story contest.