Alta (book)

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'Alta is the second book (the first is Joust) in the planned Dragon Jousters tetralogy by Mercedes Lackey. It is set in a fictionalized version of the pre-Pharaonic Lower Kingdom of Egypt. Lackey stated on her website that she intented Alta to to be a fusion of predynastic Lower Egypt and Atlantis, with more emphasis on the former than the latter. The Atlantis connection is not readily apparent in Alta, but becomes a bit more obvious towards the end of the sequel, Sanctuary.

In this story, Kiron flies on Avatre to the place of his birth, Alta, with the help of the Bedu. There he tells the Jousters the secret to having tame dragons--and finds himself supervising eight boys about his age in tending to their new dragon eggs. As he trains them and invents new battle tactics, the deceptions of the Magi, magic users in 'service' to the king, are slowly revealed. Eventually, the Magi declare near tyrrany over all of Alta, using their superweapon, the eye, to keep the people in control. Kiron and his new friends, one of which is murdered by the Magi, plot to overthrow the Magi or escape from their grasp. They eventually succeed by poisoning the Tala, the plant that keeps wild dragons hostile, and escaping through a fierce battle with Tian dragons, only Ari and kiron's new friends' dragons not having to worry about the tala since they're tame. With the help of the Bedu, they find their way to Sanctuary, a place of legend that was thought to have been buried by the sands of the desert. The story ends with them deciding to overthrow the magi from sanctuary, and allowing anyone and everyone who wishes safety from the magi there to have it.