The Thief Queen's Daughter

Char the cook helps on the same ship that is assigned by the captain, husband of the Crossroad's Inn hostess, to look after Ven and uses this as an excuse to follow him every where and sharing in his adventurous life. He is Ven's best friend and shares a room with him in Hare Warren at the Inn

Saeli, a Gwadd, is naturally tiny and can speak to animals and plants. She can make flowers bloom and spring out of the ground. Clemency, more commonly known as Clem is the stewardess of mouse lodge ( the girl's dormitory) and the pastor's assistant in charge of the Spice Folk. She is also friends with Ven. Ida played a more than significant part in The Floating Island by closing the rover’s box. She's a skinny pick pocket with more potential then she lets out, living at the cross roads inn with more than a knack at solving the insolvable. She is known as an orphan but has a horrifying past and an even more horrifying mother. Ven, the new official reporter living at general ease takes himself and friends Clemency, Nick, Saeli, and Char, on one of his adventures to the Gated City. Saeli is kidnapped, and an unanticipated kindness shines through the grime of Ida and the whole group has a shock, an adventure, and a light at the end of the tunnel.

Ven wakes up to a bad day, from waking up late and finding that Ida has eaten his breakfast. On the way to the castle Ven leaves a packet of cookies for the trolls the Trudy tells him are under the bridge. At the castle the king shows him a secret tunnel in the soon to be garden and gives him a box with a glowing stone. He tells Ven that he has deciphered the writing on it and found that it comes from the Gated City ruled by the Raven guild and he wants Ven to investigate it. Back in the main castle Ven is officially fired as the kings official reporter. Ven returns to the inn and invites all the children who want to go with him to the Gated City's market. Char, Ida, Saeli, Clemency, and Nick agree to go with him. The children are dazzled by the market's brilliant colors and shops, but soon realize all is not what it seems. The children come to a weapon store called Arm of Coates, and go inside. The owner of the store is an old man called Mr. Coates. He tells them that a fortune-teller called Madame Sharra may know what the shining stone King Vandemere gave them is. Before they leave the store, Coates gives them a special gauntlet with many useful functions, and tells them it may come in handy in the future.

• Elizabeth Haydon at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database