

Thanks also to my continual support team: my parents, forever answering crazed garden information questions without once suggesting that I need my head examined my agent, Craig Tenney, who has a delicate touch for what works and what doesn’t Raquel Starace, for horse breeds, riding, and monster creation advice Richard McCaffery Robinson, for his many instructive thoughts on the nature of royal progresses and my very own Spouse-Creature, Tim Liebe, who had his hands full with me this time, and offered many sage thoughts on the nature of romance, ordeals, and training relationships.

She and the other folks at Wild Birds Unlimited online (are a tremendous resource for those who want to know more about birds. for her quick assistance with information on sparrow biology. My gratitude goes to Alicia Craig-Lich, manager of the National Audubon Society Important Bird Area in Indiana and Senior Manager of Nature Education, Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc. Rowling (nope, don’t know her personally), whose wild success with the Harry Potter books has convinced American publishers that perhaps their authors could manage to sell longer books too. Thus, indirect thanks are due to British author J.

My most heartfelt thanks for this goes to my wonderful editrix, Mallory Loehr, who gave me another hundred pages in which to tell the story - my brain might have melted down without them, because I could think of nothing to cut. ISBN 6-7 Copyright (c) 2001 by Tamora Pierce. As she deals with the challenges of a new romance and a life in the royal guard, Kel also prepares for the infamous “Ordeal”, the last challenge that stands between her and her dream of knighthood…

But Kel quickly proves her mettle as a jouster, warrior, and guardian of a fiery griffin, earning respect and admiration among the men, not to mention the affection of a fellow squire. “My lord only took you, because he felt sorry for you.” When Keladry of Mindelan is chosen by the legendary Lord Raoul to be his squire, the conservatives of the realm hardly think she’s up to the job. Tamora Pierce Protector of the Small 03 Squire
