The Golden Heart

By Emil Kackos

Dragons suddenly appear out of the night sky, burning everything in sight. The evil wizard that created them is about to complete a spell that will exchange his heart with the magical Golden Heart and make him the ruler of the world. All he needs is a cup of blood: Human blood! He has created creatures to conquer the inhabitants in preparation for his rule. A teenage witch and several young companions are selected to face the wizard is his lair and save the world

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 27, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453576755

Book preview

Copyright © 2010 by Emil Kackos.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2010913665

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4535-7674-8

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-4535-7673-1

ISBN:   Ebook   978-1-4535-7675-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

86742

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1    The Dragons

Chapter 2    Buni’s!

Chapter 3    Evil At Work

Chapter 4    Making Friends

Chapter 5    The Council

Chapter 6    Creatures!

Chapter 7    What’s That Green Thing?

Chapter 8    The Black Mountain

Chapter 9    Road’s End

Chapter 10  The Cavern

Chapter 11  The Chasm

Chapter 12  The Beating Heart

Chapter 13  The Wizard, the Demon and the Heart

Epilogue

I dedicate this book to my son, Matt, who made me make up these stories before bedtime each night and to my wife Peggy who encouraged me to write them down.

Prologue

The White River, separating Rondolar from the Black Mountains, was living up to its name. Swollen with the recent rains, it looked white from the water crashing into the rocks. The river was impassable most of the time, too fast and too deep for horses or men. Not that any Humans would want to cross. The Black Mountains were said to be cursed by the darkest magic of an evil wizard who lived there thousands of years ago. Even today, nothing grew. Not a single blade of grass colored the dull brown landscape. In the distance, the bare mountains were black and sinister.

Rondolar was a large sprawling part of the known world and settled by Humans. They had many small farming settlements and one large city, Krestar, which was really a fortress. Built on a large island in the middle of Lake Lanake, it was the largest of the Human settlements. Its thick stone walls were surrounded by the shops, houses, wells, storage buildings, and everything else a city needed. A heavy wooden drawbridge, which had not been raised for centuries, was the only connection to the shore. Four watch towers had views in every direction. It was a throwback to ancient history, when a war with a sorcerer from the Black Mountains was supposed to have taken place. They still kept a well-trained army because a centuries old law required it.

Krestar was always busy. Farmers from the settlements came to sell their crops and buy things from the city craftsmen. Livestock, and carts loaded with goods could be seen coming and going, noisily crossing the wooden drawbridge. Krestar was also home to the ruler of the Humans, King Leonardus III or, King Leo as everyone called him. A short, plump man, he lived in a small castle at one end of the city. He was a benevolent ruler, visiting each village once every few years to keep the peace and encourage trade.

The south border of Rondolar was always shrouded in mist and the land there was appropriately called the Misty Lands. No one had ever been there: the mists were impenetrable. Legend told of a witch that came from the Misty Lands to help the Humans in the ancient war, but most thought that was a fairy tale. Other tales of witches and warlocks were told around campfires at night to frighten children. In truth, no one really knew what existed beyond the mist.

To the east was the land of the Beirs. The Beirs were larger than Humans, covered with short fur which ranged from solid black to dark brown to almost blond and each of them seemed to have at least one patch of contrasting fur—a white patch on a black Beir, a black patch on a blond. Although they looked ferocious, they were very gregarious, always joking and very slow to anger.

They had no cities. Logenfal was the only permanent settlement and that was where their leader, Korol, ruled more or less. Their immense territory permitted them to travel in loosely knit groups, gathering food and stopping here and there. They were famous for their woodsmanship and wood carvings and they sometimes traded with the Humans.

The Beirs had their own stories of a war against an evil wizard long, long ago, but they, too, thought they were just that: tales. There was no fighting in Beir lands. Beirs were very peaceful, at least until their annual gathering. They all came to Logenfal to trade and at that time they had tournaments featuring many different skills, many involved spear and sword skills, wrestling and other aggressive sports. Peaceful they may be, but they loved their tournaments!

To the east of the Beirs was the peaceful land of Bunasia. Short, furry, tailed creatures with long ears, the pastoral Buni’s lived in comfortable huts that were dug into the high ground. They tended their gardens and orchards alongside a slow moving river. Across the river was what they called the Empty Lands. It was a vast wilderness with no sign of occupation. They had sent many expeditions into the Empty Lands and found new species of fruit trees, but nothing else.

Bunasia was ruled by a Council which consisted of a delegate from each of the seven settlements and was led by Mesamis the Elder from the settlement of Kerretopia. The Council House and the Library were the main buildings in Kerretopia. The latter had an impressive archive of books on many subjects including all the ancient scrolls. The Security Officer, Grendelar, spent his time traveling to the different settlements, refereeing disagreements and ensuring fair trade. Although he was a military officer—and big for a Buni—no conflict had occurred in the Buni Lands in countless centuries, no invaders ever crossed the unguarded borders.

It was a peaceful world.

Until the night the dragons came.

Chapter 1

The Dragons

The trees were dying. There was nothing alive across the White River, which was the west border of Rondolar; no birds, no animals, nothing green. Everything was already dead. Now the lush greenery that grew on their side was turning to brown. The sickly trees were bad enough, but all the other vegetation was dying, right down to the grass. None of the experts King Leo sent to investigate found any cause for it: there was no disease or parasites or insects. It just seemed like something was sucking the life out of the plants.

Answers! he demanded of his ministers. I need answers! If this spreads to our crops- he didn’t have to finish. Everyone knew what would happen if the crops failed. All of Rondolar depended on them. And what if the animals were affected? Or people?

Lethomeade, the Minister of Agriculture, said what at least some of them were thinking, but were afraid to say. Maybe we should consult Dara, she knows about these things and—

NO! the King shouted. I will not hear her opinions! If science cannot find out what’s killing the plants, then she can’t possibly know.

The King did not like Dara. Or maybe he was afraid of her. People said she knew the past and so could see the future and many believed in her predictions. The King did not and thought she was a fraud. She was impossibly old—she was old when his grandmother was a girl—and spent most of her time in the library with the ancient writings.

That night, at the stroke of midnight, the impossible happened.

The guard manning the West Tower saw it first. Alarm! he screamed to the courtyard below as he frantically rang the alarm bell. Something is burning the fields! He strained his eyes to see what was causing the fires that were sprouting in the crop fields. Then he saw it: a huge black shadow against the darker night, red eyes gleaming, wings spread wide. Instinctively he ducked behind the stone wall, just as a stream of fire scorched the tower. Dragons! he thought.

The dragons left as quickly as they had come, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Krestar’s walls had prevented much damage inside the city, but some of the crops had been burned. Luckily, the damage wasn’t too severe. This time.

Dragons? King Leo asked, incredulous. Dragons? First the trees, now we are attacked by dragons? Where are they coming from? he demanded. The King, short and stout, was impatient at the best of times. Now, at 3 AM, he was shouting at the hastily summoned ministers.

We have no answers, my lord. said Stefan, the Security Minister. I have summoned General Rafael and —he paused and lowered his voice we have asked Dara to come.

The King exploded. Dara? What does that crazy old woman know about anything? Are you crazy, too? How can she possibly help?

"She knows things, sire. She stays in