The Sister of the South is a children's fantasy book written by Emily Rodda.

After Josef dies from poison, they discover that an addition to the Palace Chapel was forcibly added by the Chief Advisors, and that this is where the Sister is.

Nevets kills the mysterious beast just as the Topaz Dragon arrives to destroy the Sister.

It is discovered that Paff, Josef's new assistant, was the Guardian and was poisoning the people and projecting the beast similarly to Kirsten's specter.

Just as it seems the quest is finished, it turns out that Josef had deduced a terrible secret: the Shadow Lord had a contingency plan.