This is Book III of Michael Meadows' exciting Gods of Olympus series. Book II of the series, Interlude of the Dragon, presented the story of the unique crew of the colony spaceship, Olympus, during their virtual reincarnation into the sword-and-sorcery world of the Intermountain Valley. Book III of the series presents more of the back histories of two of those characters: the magician, Yokesh Singh, and the former Eastern Empire soldier, Ramsey Hua. Yokesh's journey from a disgraced, assistant professor of fire-realm magic at the Cassandra Collage for Magic Arts to the principal magician in the small village of Olympus Landing involved a scandal, battles with river pirates, and a close encounter with the mysterious river fairies. Ramsey's transformation from an injured stranger to respected trader would require first earning the trust of his partners and resolving a surprising conflict with the legendary high elves.