8Return to the world of Carandir.

Half Awakened Dreams: Volume II of the Carandir Saga picks up eight months after the end of Volume I, Dragons Unremembered.

King Ryckair and Queen Mirjel pursue Baras, the evil dragon, who escaped. Together, as equals, they must complete a subduing spell with the power of the magical crown of Carandir. It alone can return the dragon to eternal sleep.

Baras waits, wounded and in hiding, but his power grows each day. Soon, he will rise fully to visit a reign of terror upon the world.

In the east, Shara, the former lover who convinced Ryckair that Mirjel was dead, bears a son Ryckair did not know he fathered. She captures The King and reveals his heir who wants to kill Ryckair. Only The Queen, who now wears the crown and rules the monarchy alone, can rescue him.

Banished royalty, who took up arms against the monarchy in the name of Baras, return and seize control of their former holdings. They ignite hatred against those they consider impure. Courage and cowardice compete as those who are different encounter oppression, forcing many to flee as refugees.

There are new cultures, new fantastic creatures and new songs set in a world of gender equality where women and men have the same rights, opportunities and authority. Complex characters must examine their own lives to find inner strengths and overcome weaknesses with as much fortitude as they must muster to confront outside forces.