All the Arkonian tribes had heard the legend. Morcon's beautiful daughter had been promised to Chief Moroba, and when Morcon listened to her wishes and refused the match, the Chief took her by force. She escaped, but at the cost of her life. The giant, leather-winged creature that roamed the Arkos looking for blood was thought to be just a myth, but her ravaged body told a different tale. Her people swore there would be bloodshed between the two tribes until she was reborn, returning to her captors to bond with them of her own free will. Centuries later, Caleb doesn't know what fate lies ahead for his family when he flees with them into the unknown Arkos territory. Everyone in the City had heard the tales of the savages who hunted the forests, and of the hunger of the Great Bird. But they were only tales, and Caleb's one aim is to get Jem away quickly. She is young and sensuous, and would draw a high price at Queen Calitta's auction, which was dangerously close. One morning Konar, a prince of Morobia, sees Jem bathing in the river, and is instantly captivated. What sets his heart on fire more than even her incredible beauty, are the terrible scars that could only have been inflicted by massive talons. After all these generations, could this be the one they've been waiting for? Calitta, however, has different plans, and when she recaptures Jem's parents, she must choose between her love for Konar and her desire to bring peace to the Arkos, and her desire to save their lives. Although The Shadow of the Legend is set on the distant planet of Ipsalon, Gini Bond has used a familiar type of people from early American history to draw us in and make us identify with the story immediately. Readers who love books containing a plethora of unusual characters with intense personalities will like those they find here. Each one plays a specific role, and each one has their own agenda for achieving the same end result. This book gets you emotionally involved, drawing you into the individual lives in this group, whose diverse backgrounds and hopes for the future leave you wanting to find out what happens to them after you close the book.