Steelhands (Havemercy)

In the land of Volstov, Owen Adamo, the hard-as-nails ex€“Chief Sergeant of the Dragon Corps, learns that Volstov€s ruler, the Esar, is secretly pursuing plans to resurrect magically powered sentient robot dragons€"even at the risk of igniting another war. Though Adamo is not without friends€"the magician Royston and former corpsman Balfour€"there is only so much he and his allies can do. Adamo has been put out to pasture, given a professorship at the University. Royston, already exiled once, dares not risk the Esar€s wrath again. And Balfour, who lost both his hands in the war, is now a diplomat€"and still trying to master the metal replacements that have earned him various nicknames . . . of which €œSteelhands€ is the least offensive.
 
But sometimes help comes where it€s least expected. In this case, from two students: Laurence, a feisty young woman raised by her father to be the son he never had, and Toverre, her brilliant if neurotic fianc©. When a mysterious illness strikes the university, Laurence takes her suspicions to Adamo€"and unwittingly sets in motion events that will change Volstov forever.