Heart of Tunise - The Heart of the Citadel, #6

A gritty rebel with dangerous ties. A secretive mine that buries the truth. A handful of ancient bones with dark origins. Shikoba, feisty daughter of the tribal queen Aisha, has been trained since birth to defend her people. On the cusp of her final trials, she is swept away by a dragon and a Djinn shapeshifter. Bearer of a crystal heart, Shikoba has been marked to free her people from the tyranny of Emperor Madrid.
Shikoba is tasked with the destruction of the barrier that isolates her people from the other provinces, but an ancient evil stands between her and their freedom. Existing only in legend, the Naga is a fierce creature of magic and myth with a secret of its own to protect. Can one young woman gather the courage to protect all that she loves? The cost will be bitter - her death in the sacred salt mines of Shadra.
Only the spirits of the ancestors can say for sure, who will prevail. * 2018 OZMA First In Category winner, Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, for outstanding fantasy!