Dragon's Gold: Piers Anthony and Robert E. Margroff

Book I of Kelvin Of Rud. When Kelvin was a child his mother read to him from the Book of Prophecy and he asked what its cryptic message meant. Now he is about to learn. The Kingdom of Rud is crushed beneath the heel of a usurper, an evil sorcerer who has taken the throne in the name of his wicked daughter. Deep in the forest, the people tremble and wait for the prophecy's fulfillment. It cannot come soon enough for Charlain and her children, about to lose their home to the tax collector. But Kelvin and Jon have discovered a dragon's territory where scales of pure gold lie on the ground for anyone with the courage, innocence - or stupidity - to take. Cover art by Mark Salwowski.