Hate At First Sight

The tempestuous affair of Kitiara Uth Matar and Tanis Half-Elven begins with the sword. Life isn't simple for the hotheaded pair. They must contend with a carnivorous, two-headed troll; a deposed leader who believes Kitiara is the cause of the ruler's troubles; a vindictive mage who seeks peculiar vengeance; and Kit's hulking former lover. They also meet a beautiful magic-user hiding a painful secret, and a giant owl with a sardonic sense of humor.

Here is the long-awaited story of the meeting of Tanis and Kitiara, a tale of love, lust, betrayal, and revenge that takes the listener through Krynn and south to the glacial Icereach.

Ellen Porath, co-author of Kindred Spirits, tells this exciting new tale, the fifth in the Dragonlance Saga Meetings Sextet.

Steel and Stone explores the formative relationship between Tanis Half-Elven and Kitiara Uth Matar—two of the most prominent figures in the Dragonlance saga. Set well before the events of the Chronicles trilogy, the novel delves into their youth and reveals how they first met, how they fought, and how they fell into a complicated, passionate romance that would echo throughout their lives.

The story begins when Tanis stumbles upon a woman being attacked by goblins. Ever the reluctant hero, he attempts to rescue her, only to discover that she is more than capable of handling herself. The woman is Kitiara Uth Matar, a fierce, confident warrior with no patience for chivalry. Their first encounter is tense, with Kit resenting Tanis’s interference and Tanis both irritated and intrigued by her boldness.

Despite their rocky start, fate—or perhaps Krynn’s mercurial gods—continues to throw them together. They find themselves reluctantly paired on a journey filled with danger, deception, and uneasy camaraderie. Their path is riddled with trials, including battles against vicious two-headed trolls, dark magic, and ruthless bounty hunters.

As they travel, Tanis and Kitiara’s relationship begins to deepen. They share moments of vulnerability and passion, but also sharp disagreements. Kitiara’s ambitions and ruthless independence clash with Tanis’s introspective, moral nature. He is drawn to her strength and confidence, while she is fascinated—and occasionally frustrated—by his quiet intelligence and sense of justice.

Their journey leads them through bustling towns and wild wilderness, eventually taking them to the frozen wastes of Icereach. Along the way, they encounter a diverse cast of allies and enemies: a vengeful former lover of Kit’s who sees Tanis as a rival; a cunning mage obsessed with Kit for reasons both magical and personal; and a mysterious female magic-user whose tragic past casts a shadow over the present. A sardonic, oversized owl even joins their adventure, offering cryptic advice and wry commentary from the skies.

The story is as much about external conflict as it is about inner turmoil. Tanis grapples with his identity as a half-elf—never fully accepted by humans or elves—while Kitiara wrestles with the limitations of companionship and the threat love poses to her personal ambitions. Despite their differences, they forge a powerful, if ultimately unstable, bond.

By the novel’s end, the seeds of future heartbreak and betrayal are firmly planted. While their relationship is passionate and real, it is also destined to fracture—setting the stage for the legendary conflicts to come in the Dragonlance Chronicles.