What if a dragon wants to speak to you directly? What if that dragon promises real magic, and promises that if you look deep into the story you will begin to see with dragon eyes (prism vision)? Would you believe the serpent in the garden?The Beveled Edge is a novel of a young woman, Mira, whose world is dying. To save her friends she must secretly lead them into another world with the help of a Dragon Eyestone. To keep the new world solid, no one can suspect her of using magic. The story opens with a Dragon narrator who tells the reader that if one finishes listening to the story, he or she will discover real magic. The dragon promises a true story, but warns that it will interrupt the narration with "e;dragon speak,"e; comments and quotes from philosophers and scientists found in the Dragon Seer Archives. In the end the reader learns to "e;be aware,"e; learns about real magic, and how to "e;stay awake"e; in the dream. The first chapter begins with Mira running to escape poison red ash that is spewing from a volcano that overlooks her homeland. The ash poisons the water and burns the lungs. People sicken, the land sickens, and anyone caught in the open dies. To escape, Mira hides in a cave where she discovers the last living dragon (which personifies her world). The dragon is sick and is also dying. It tells her to bring her people to the cave saying, "e;Deep in the bowels of this place they will discover water and a lush valley, a world safe from the Sky Death. They will not find me here."e;Mira is troubled by the fact that she will be leading her people into the belly of a dragon, but the dragon convinces her that life is nothing more than the illusions we choose to see, and that her people will just be trading one illusion for another. She is warned: if the people suspect that the world is "e;Unreal,"e; the magic dream will fall apart. The dragon rips out an eye and drops it in front of Mira. It turns into a golden Eyestone. She can only call the dragon with it one time; only if the magic of the new world begins to fade. Throughout the novel the reader discovers that many worlds intersect and the dragon world and the human world are intertwined. Since dragons influence creativity, the reader begins to understand that dragons exist to manipulate the illusions humans choose to observe. Dragons want the Immortals (who dream all the worlds) to stay asleep so that they can continue to influence perception so their power over life, death, and suffering won't be questioned. But they weren't counting on a Dragon Seer who refuses to be seduced by illusion.
