Child of an Ancient City interior illustration by Greg Hildebrandt

RIP Greg Hildebrandt.
This was framed and been on my wall for over 20 years.

Published 1992 in Hard Cover by Atheneum / Macmillan

Child of an Ancient City
written by Nina Kiriki Hoffman and Tad Williams.

Cover and interior illustrations by Greg Hildebrandt.

A caravan met disaster in the mountains. Bandits fell upon them by night, scattering their horses, looting and pillaging their cargo. When the survivors gathered together, they salvaged what they could and began the long trek home. They are stalked by a vampyr, a creature that preys on the living and shuns the light of day. According to legend, a vampyr will stop and listen to a story told around a campfire if it is gripping enough, then retreat when dawn breaks. Over the next few weeks, the caravan travels hard by day. At night stories are told. On their last evening in the vampyr’s domain, the creature steps forward for the first time---and challenges them to a contest for the saddest story of all. If it wins, it will claim one of their number for its last meal. If they win, they may leave unharmed.