THE MEQOn May 4, 1881, the day that Zianno Zezen-Z, forshort-turns twelve, his life changes forever. Amid the confusion of a tragic train wreck, he has the first inkling that he is no ordinary boy ... that he is not human at all, but instead a member of a raceknown as the Meq. The Meq have lost all memory of their origins; they do not know why they heal with astonishing speed, or why, once they turn twelve, they stop aging unless they meet the single other member of their racedestined to join with them.Certain Meq possess even more amazing powers, thanks to mysterious Stones they have carried since before the dawn of recorded history. Z's father carried such aStone, the Stone of Dreams. Now that Stone is Z's to bear . . . and to protect.The Meq are far-flung and elusive, but Z finds allies. He will need them; for a challenge comes from the renegadeMeq called the Fleur-du-Mal-the Flower of Evil. A sadistic assassin in the body of a twelve-year-old boy, the Fleur-du-Mal will become Z's archenemy in a story that spans decades and continents andfeatures an unforgettable cast of characters, human and Meq alike.