The kingdom of Meldrith has fallen on hard times. Duke Fortian's misrule led to poverty and decline. Teressa's parents, the king and queen, are killed during an attack on the palace by hordes of the evil wizard Andreus, and the princess herself only miraculously manages to survive. Rena, Tyrone and other students of the School of Magic understand that the time has come for a decisive battle with Andreus's army. But to defeat a powerful and treacherous enemy, it is not enough to assemble even a very strong army. Friends must obtain and decipher the most important, ancient magic book; only with its help will they be able to overcome the evil spell of the king of the country of Senna Lirvan and save their native Meldrith... Drawing on the binding by I. Trefilov For primary and secondary school ageCopyright© 1995 by Sherwood Smith © Translation, Yakhnin L. L., 1997 © Illustrations, Avotin R. Zh., 1997 ISBN © Decoration, ARMADA, 1997