The Dark War

By Kami Lammers

For centuries, the Dark War raged on the continent of Vallasetu between the forces of Light and Dark. From the desert nation of Banthu, Princess Samara Talib will be drawn into the conflict through a prophecy presented to her by the magician Zlatan. Their journey takes them throughout the whole of Vallasetu in search of answers and clues. Along the way, Samara meets the wonderful people and colorful characters who will shape her destiny and assist her against the darkness that threatens their world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781646287277

Book preview

Chapter 1

Samara

The desert sun began to rise.

Princess Samara Talib stirred as her servants began their daily routines. She listened to their quiet chatter as they made the preparations for today’s ceremony. She was marrying the son of a neighboring king to establish an alliance between the two nations.

The dispute over land they both required for building and trade was crippling their economies. Her father, King Seru Talib of Banthu, believed a marriage between the children of the two rulers would bring about peace and an even distribution of those resources. Samara was not convinced.

King Dabo of Sourisak was not one to rely on diplomacy to secure peace for his nation. He was a warlord. He preferred outright conquest to solve his nation’s problems. Six years ago, Sourisak faced one of the worst food shortages in its history. The people were starving to death in the streets of the capital city, Sala. They resorted not only to stealing food from the royal cellars but also weapons and tools to barter for grain to make bread.

To end the strife of his kingdom, King Dabo sent his army into the territory across the northern expanse of grasslands. He claimed he only wanted to secure enough crops for the survival of his people. Samara believed it nothing more than a ruse. An excuse to make a substantial land grab and capture slaves for Sourisak. She also believed it was Dabo’s way of conscripting young men to increase the size of his already large army.

She voiced her concerns to her father, but Seru just waved her off. He did not want to challenge Sourisak’s mighty military machine. Not that Banthu was weak in that area, but historically the desert nation had been established through peaceful means. King Seru looked to his predecessors’ success using diplomacy and politics to create and maintain a strong state. Negotiations and contracts, not brute force, were the best solutions to problems facing any nation.

In the beginning, Banthu was a dry, arid desert in the southern portion of the continent of Vallasetu, occupied by nomadic peoples hunting and gathering for survival. Centuries ago, rainwater began washing down from Lake Salipo, filling the Etienne River with rich deposits of silt, making life possible along the riverbanks and in the delta that drained into the Sea of Harmony.

The Etienne River became the lifeblood of Banthu. The nomads eventually settled along the river that spanned one thousand miles from its origins at Lake Salipo to the delta. They cultivated crops in the dry desert terrain through innovative irrigation methods of building multiple systems of canals to circulate water from the river to their fields.

Banthu became very wealthy because of its agricultural achievements. Its success relied on the annual inundation from the life-giving Etienne River, which supplied the people with an abundant source of fish, a staple of the Banthuvian diet. Harvests included lentils, figs, dates, and onions. Banthuvians also enjoyed eggs, cheese, and beer. The reeds along the banks were used to make papyrus paper and the palm trees provided cooking oil, cosmetics, soaps, and ink.

As the population of Banthu grew, a leader was needed to guide the people in their daily lives and maintain order. The first king, Norik, established a stratified society to avoid chaos and anarchy with himself at the apex. He created a class system of nobles, peasants, farmers, soldiers, and slaves. However, Banthuvian society was not static. It allowed its members opportunities for social mobility.

To avoid competition for the throne, Norik claimed he had been chosen by the sun god, Zephyr, the protector king, to rule Banthu. Zephyr was depicted in Banthuvian art with the head of a lion and the body of a man. He represented strength and power. This ruler cult ideology stabilized the nation without bloodshed, becoming the first successful nonviolent tactic used for political advantage.

Norik ensured that his people were well cared for and protected from invasion. But if he ever fell out of favor with the people or the gods, or if the lands of Banthu suffered, then the people had the right to open rebellion. This was the pact made between Banthu’s gods, her kings, and her people.

One thousand years after Norik, and another thousand before Seru, King Tervoort ascended to the throne. He built upon the strong diplomatic base established by Norik. Tervoort bore the burden of ruling an ever-growing civilization by delegating responsibility of local affairs, such as tax collection, to noble-born men. He incorporated military commanders into his leadership hierarchy as advisors to maintain order and protect Banthu’s borders.

Tervoort’s most important contribution to Banthuvian politics was the creation of the Vizier. This was initially filled by the most trusted member of his inner circle, his childhood friend, Dak, a capable diplomat in his own right. Tervoort looked to Dak for advice, information, and resolutions of domestic issues. He was also given the responsibility of dealing with international matters in the king’s absence. He traveled when Tervoort was otherwise unavailable. Dak became the first prime minister in the history of Banthu.

Because Banthu was an insular country, they needed to maintain friendly relations with their neighbors. Tervoort and Dak negotiated with leaders from nations outside Banthu. They became the first world leaders to establish a trade network for timber, gold, and gems from Sourisak. In exchange, Banthu exported food, oil, and papyrus paper.

Not wanting his people to become idle during the growing season, Tervoort created new jobs. A skilled workforce developed in areas such as fishing, tanning, construction, and pottery making. These opportunities gave the people of Banthu a way to earn a wage and the chance to rise among the ranks of their peers while stimulating the economy.

Tervoort then created the guild system. There were several related to agriculture, such as the Grain Guild and the Reed Guild, which catered to the educated elite and the royal scribes. There was also the Workers Guild, who repaired farm equipment; the Masons Guild, master builders; and carpenters of the Woodworking Guild, who built tables, chairs, and cabinets.

Each guild was responsible for creating quality goods and maintaining fair pricing to avoid inflation. The guilds were also designed for teaching the next generation a trade. When a boy turned ten years old, he was apprenticed to one of the guilds for seven years. Usually the one his father or uncle belonged to. If a boy was an orphan, he would need to be chosen by a master during the midsummer festival. It was not unusual for some boys to not get an apprenticeship. Those boys were sent to the temples to learn the priesthood or enlisted in the army.

King Tervoort realized he needed to incorporate the entirety of Banthu from its eastern border all the way to the delta in the west. This required bringing the local governors into the political fold. But rather than send his army, he and his Vizier Dak personally visited all the village leaders under his purview, explaining the benefits of coming together as one great nation under one strong leader. The result of this diplomacy was a unified Banthu under the banner of King Tervoort, who came to forever be known as the Great Unifier.

Tervoort was the first ruler to undertake considerable construction projects during the summer growing season. He built large structures and temples made of limestone and granite erected in what became the capital city now known as Akaela, named after his favorite wife.

His first major project was the impressive stepped pyramid palace he and his family were meant to live in. The granite was cut from a quarry located five hundred miles east of Akaela, then sailed up the bloated Etienne River on wooden barges. It should have taken five years to build with a workforce of fifty thousand men working in shifts year-round, but halfway through construction, one side collapsed.

In retrospect, Tervoort realized the design was flawed as a residence. It restricted movement, the number of rooms, and did not accommodate for windows. Without windows, the rooms would be hot, stuffy, and dark. It was not practical as a family home, so the king abandoned the project. Rather, he built a much-smaller pyramid as a resting place for his cremation urn upon his death.

Tervoort built a more traditional residence along the Etienne River for his family. The floorplan for his palace allocated space for corridors, bedchambers, living rooms, libraries, atriums, and indoor gardens and fountains. It also allowed for an abundant number of large windows in every room to create breezeways to cool the interior.

The palace became the centerpiece of Akaela. It covered a full thirteen acres. Marble and granite were quarried, cut, and polished for the floors and columns. The complex consisted of banquet halls, living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, offices, and gardens. The plaza was impressive with its granite fountains and marble statues of the various Banthuvian gods along the walking paths.

Sections of the palace for purposes of state business were set aside in the west wing, away from the family’s personal residence. Here, Tervoort discussed issues of military operations with his army commanders and tax prices with his local agents.

Balconies were designed so the royal family could look out over the wonderous capital city of Akaela. They watched the sun rise in the east and set in the west. The balconies also allowed for potted plants and flowers to grow, providing fresh scents in the rooms. The balconies were like little oases in an urban setting.

Samara loved her childhood home. She delighted in all the windows with the lovely views of her beloved city and the balconies to watch the sunsets and sunrises. She really appreciated the cool breezes in the mornings and evenings. Living in a desert could be unbearable when the sun beat down on the sand dunes and rooftops, but her home was comfortable.

Samara lay in bed stretching her nine inches over five feet frame and yawning. She loved the way the soft sheets felt against her nude body. Finally, she sat up and swung her long legs over the side of her bed. Her auburn hair hung down between her shoulder blades in a shiny cascade of soft curls. She kept it shorter than other Banthuvian women because hers was thick and heavy and made her neck and back sweat. She had emerald-green eyes, like her mother, Sasha, whom she missed every day.

When Samara was only eight summers old, her mother collapsed with a fever and never regained consciousness. Her body lingered for the better part of a week before she took her last breath. Seru was devastated over the loss of his beloved wife. As was the customary way of dealing with the dead in Banthu, Sasha was placed on a bier, the appropriate prayers and lamentations were spoken, then the fire bearers set her body to flames.

Now, at twenty years old, Samara was to wed King Dabo’s son, Prince Deklan. The two were the same age and had met at last year’s midsummer festival in Akaela. She was impressed with his looks. He was tall, dark, and handsome, like his father. He was impressed with her as well, never leaving her side for the entire evening.

Deklan was a notorious womanizer. Many a noble’s daughter openly flirted with him, hoping to garner his favor. His charm made it easy for him to sweep women off their feet and into his bed. His voice was smooth and melodious. He had a brilliant smile that made women swoon. Even Samara admitted his smile made her a little weak in the knees. He had been well groomed by his tutors for court life.

But Samara did not want to marry Deklan or anyone for that matter. She had an adventurous soul and a yearning for knowledge. She always knew she was meant for more than marriage and motherhood. She called it her gut feeling, and it told her she was destined for something of great importance.

After the death of Sasha, Samara was raised by nannies and tutors. She was a precocious child who loved reading and studying maps. Her intellectual abilities manifested early in her life when she began asking questions about everything in the garden and palace. She was particularly interested in the blue roses her mother tended in the family garden. Samara asked about their care and maintenance and the insects that buzzed around or crawled on them. She took it upon herself at an early age to keep the flowers healthy.

She continued asking questions into her teens about history, philosophy, and even politics, much to the chagrin of several teachers who felt it improper for a girl to know such things. Many a female tutor quit because Samara refused to stay in what they called her sphere of domesticity. In other words, they believed she should focus on household management, singing, dancing, and poetry to become a proper wife. This made her roll her eyes.

Samara was also quite intuitive. She sensed when there was distress in the royal household and instinctively knew how to alleviate it. She typically let her gut dictate her actions, but not without considering situations from every angle first. She also knew things without knowing how she knew them. Sometimes she would get a gut feeling about something only to have it come to pass. She thought it might have been something she inherited from her mother.

Seru was proud of Samara’s inquisitive nature. She believed her curiosity and intelligence would make her a great woman and an even greater queen. He could not help but agree with her. He was confident that Banthu would continue to thrive under her rule. He wanted the best for his only child.

So for love of her father and her nation, Samara accepted her role in the upcoming nuptials, despite the constant nagging in the back of her mind that she was meant for more than wife and mother. Deklan expressed his pleasure with the fast approaching union by sending Samara orchids with a note reading, I am thankful to have the opportunity to make you my wife.

Samara just wished she had more in common with him. Deklan was not interested in history, philosophy, astronomy, or mathematics. Samara had visited the great library located in the delta city of Laurielle, where she gained access to the works of the great thinkers, philosophers, and historians of Banthu. She also developed her love of art, architecture, and cartography while attending lectures at the academy there.

She even dabbled in military history, tactics, and strategies to make up for the fact that her father never had a son. It appeared the gods did not see fit to honor Seru with a male heir. So to help soothe the perceived insult, Samara learned enough to converse with him and discuss what-if scenarios.

When she was fifteen years old, she convinced him to build a fortress to house his standing army. She called it the Citadel. Before the garrison city was built, the military of Banthu consisted of numerous outposts along the Etienne River. She suggested consolidating them into one main unit based between Akaela and the border of the Fenella Desert. Strategically, this made sense with war-prone Sourisak on the other side of Lake Salipo. Samara believed the Citadel would act as a buffer should Dabo decide to invade and work toward Akaela to capture the throne.

She designed the fortress herself based on fortresses she studied at Laurielle. Since Banthu was a desert, Samara believed it beneficial to establish the front wall of the Citadel along the Etienne River with the desert on three sides. She designed a moat around the fortress that circulated water from the river around the entire structure. The Etienne was full of deadly crocodiles, hippopotamus, and venomous water snakes.

If attacking from the river, an invading army would need to scale a slick moss-covered stone wall. If they attacked from the desert, they would first need to cross hundreds of miles of sand to reach the front door. They would be foot sore and exhausted from the heat upon arrival.

Using the natural environment, Samara established layers of defense. The first layer from the desert was the wall surrounding the city. It was ten stories high and six feet thick. Watchtowers were located every fifty yards, with twenty deadly archers posted at each.

The drawbridge faced the river. It was operated from the barbican by soldiers stationed on the wall. To gain entrance, an invading force would need to take out the archers, scale the wall, then drop down to release the mechanism to lower the bridge to allow for the invading army to enter.

Past the first layer of defense, Samara established what she called the dead zone. This was an open area, two hundred yards long and one hundred across, that encircled the city proper. It pitted invaders between the wall they just passed through and an identical wall surrounding the city, guarded with more archers and foot soldiers. Her design made invading from the river nearly impossible and coming in from the desert difficult and deadly. The fortress was virtually impossible to invade and easily defended from the inside.

It took two years to construct the Citadel using stone and mudbricks. The officers and married men lived in the city proper with their families, while the barracks, located along the city wall, housed the bachelors and nonofficers.

The Citadel impressed King Dabo. So much so he visited just last year. Samara and Seru met him there, and the three of them discussed building a similar garrison in Sala. Only after Dabo left did Samara recommend they keep some of the outposts along the river leading up to the Citadel fully manned. Seru agreed. The following year, Seru got the proposal from Dabo to marry Samara to Deklan.

Samara stretched again and looked up as her personal assistant of three years approached holding a breakfast tray. Anya was seventeen years old and, unlike Samara, short by Banthuvian standards. Most of the desert women stood about four inches over five feet. Anya was barely five foot, and the other girls teased her relentlessly about it. Anya had short wavy brown hair with lots of blond highlights from being in the sun. Her eyes were hazel and twinkled when she smiled. She wore a simple white linen shift dress with a square neckline.

Samara really liked Anya. She was hoping to bring her along to her new home in Sourisak, if only to have a familiar face close by, but also because she felt a kinship with the girl.

Anya carried a tray of fruits, bread, porridge, and tea. The silly grin on her face told Samara she had gossip to share with her. Once she set down the tray, she looked at Samara and said, Roman kissed me last night.

Samara beamed at the girl. And?

Anya shrugged. I punched him in the nose.

Samara’s mouth fell open. But I thought you wanted him to kiss you? What happened?

She put her hands on her hips. He pulled me into the kitchen pantry and stuck his tongue down my throat! She stomped her foot. I wanted him to kiss me under the stars, not amongst the jams.

Samara burst out laughing at her friend’s disappointment. You wanted something more romantic.

Anya’s bottom lip popped out in a pout. Yes! Is that too much to ask for? she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Samara laughed even harder, garnering the attention of the other attendants in the room.

What was your first kiss like? asked Anya.

Do you remember Armand? she replied.

Anya nodded. The stable boy! Was he romantic? she asked, dropping her arms to her sides.

Well, began Samara, he asked me to follow him to the stables, to check on the horses. Once inside, he took me in his arms and kissed me. She laughed then continued, Father happened by and saw it!

Anya gasped. What did King Seru do?

Samara smirked. He transferred him to the Citadel.

Anya giggled. Maybe Roman should join him.

Samara couldn’t contain her mirth, Anya, I love you! then she hugged her friend.

And I love you, Samara. I’m going to miss you when you leave today.

Samara winked. I’m hoping to take you with me. I can’t imagine a day without you.

Anya brightened at that and hugged Samara before skipping from the room. When she returned, she carried the white linen sleeveless dress for today’s ceremony to unite Banthu and Sourisak in holy political matrimony. She laid it down on the bed then stepped back, watching Samara’s reaction.

Samara glanced at the garment then picked up a piece of fruit to nibble on. She wasn’t hungry, but it prolonged having to put on the dress. She just knew she was meant for more than being a wife and mother. She daydreamed about crossing into distant lands, meeting new and interesting people, then returning to Banthu to write about her adventures. She wanted to be a traveling scholar and a teacher. But the fates, it seemed, had other plans for her. Samara sighed.

Are you ready? asked Anya.

Ready as I will ever be, I suppose, she said. Shall we get this nightmare over with? She winked at Anya, who smiled and picked up the dress.

As Samara stepped into the garment, she whispered to Anya, Deklan is handsome.

Knowing Samara was trying to find something positive about today, she replied, The handsomest.

Anya helped Samara pin up her auburn locks and applied her makeup. Living in a hot desert environment meant the sun was always shining brightly. To help keep the blinding sun from their eyes, the men, women, and children of Banthu wore a thick black kohl eyeliner.

Slipping on her sandals, the two women left Samara’s chambers for perhaps the last time. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Samara straightened her shoulders and walked to the banquet hall with her head held high.

Her father and King Dabo were already there. Seru dressed in the white linen robe of his royal office, gem-covered bracelets on his wrists, and sandals on his feet. His head was shaved in the manner of the king, his golden crown set firmly on his bald pate. His smile seemed guarded as Dabo explained something to him.

Dabo was a tall man. He dwarfed her father’s average height. He wore a black tunic and trousers with shiny black boots. He was muscular and, like his son, handsome. He wore his short jet-black hair slicked back in the manner of the Sourisak military. Like the men of his nation, Dabo affected a short trimmed beard.

From the corner of her eye, Samara saw Anya’s jaw drop as she admired the lavishness of the immense room. The white marble floor had been polished to a high shine for the occasion. There were fourteen smooth granite columns that stood three stories high from one end of the room to the other.

The ceiling had a large round opening in the center called the Oculus. It allowed natural sunlight to fill the room and made the polished surfaces sparkle. This was where the marriage platform, with its ornate arch of flowers, was placed. The Oculus bathed the participants of the ceremony in abundant natural light and gave the gods of Banthu a bird’s-eye view of the service.

Tables lined the walls of the room, heavily laden with fruits, vegetables, smoked fish, various cheeses, and enough wine to intoxicate an entire invading army. A gentle breeze blew in the windows, making the sheer curtains billow inward. There were multicolored flowers all around the room, the soft breezes carrying their scents to all those invited to witness the marriage between Banthu and Sourisak.

Deklan was standing beside his father when Samara and Anya entered the hall. His look of astonishment let Samara know he was indeed impressed with her beauty. He looked as though he was already imagining himself undressing her in their bedchamber back in Sourisak. She rolled her eyes skyward and audibly groaned, a sound that only Anya heard.

He looked handsome, dressed in his ceremonial military uniform, a black jacket with gold buttons down the middle. Two gold stripes adorned his cuffs. The jacket’s collar had one gold star indicating his rank as brigadier general in Dabo’s legion. His trousers were black with a red stripe down each side. His black boots were polished to a high shine.

He parted his short black hair on the left side. His blue eyes seemed even more intense as he stared at her across the room. A combination of sensuality and a harshness that made Samara’s skin crawl. While other women swooned and hung on his every word, Samara felt anxious and apprehensive in his presence. She was not experienced in matters of lovemaking and knowing he was made her uncomfortable.

Their childhoods could not have been more different. His strict military upbringing stood in complete contrast to her scholarly pursuits. The populace of Sourisak were inherently militaristic. War came naturally to Dabo’s people. The neighbors of Sourisak knew this characteristic was a strange but natural element of their personal relationships as well.

Like the men, the women of Sourisak were trained to wrestle and fight in hand-to-hand combat with swords and their fists. Sourisak women were even rumored to carry small knives with them to protect themselves from the violence of their drunken husbands. Banthuvian women had no such worries.

Her father and King Dabo followed Deklan’s gaze until they spotted Samara. Seru beamed with pride while Dabo looked like a cat that ate a canary. She patted Anya on the back then left her standing at the door. The trio of men bowed as she approached.

My dearest, beamed her father, you look just as beautiful as your mother on her wedding day.

She inclined her head. For different reasons, I’m sure.

This briefly took Seru aback, but he quickly recovered himself. Beautiful nonetheless, he said as he took her left hand and kissed her cheek.

Dabo presented himself. Princess Samara, as your soon-to-be father-in-law, may I also comment on your beauty. If I may be so bold, you look a lot like your mother, but even more beautiful, I would wager. He took her right hand and kissed her knuckles.

Finding his facial hair on her skin off-putting, Samara gently pulled her hand away from him. Thank you, Your Highness. You are most kind.

Deklan held his arm out for Samara, who graciously accepted it. Turning on the charm, he asked, Did you like the orchids I sent to you? I asked around and was told they are your favorite.

Samara groaned inside. Everyone knew her favorite flower was blue roses, so he obviously did not ask around. Samara just smiled and replied, They were lovely. Thank you.

As the couple stepped away from their fathers, Deklan said, You look quite beautiful, Samara. We shall have many beautiful children, don’t you think?

She turned to look at his face and stopped walking. Looking directly into his eyes, she said, Deklan, surely there is more I can contribute to this union than children?

He turned to face her. My dear, the women of Sourisak do not participate in the affairs of the state. I promise to respect your opinions, knowing full well that you are a highly educated woman, but there will be no interference from you regarding politics or anything else for that matter. He smiled sweetly. Do you understand?

She returned his sweet smile, stating, I understand that the boys of Sourisak are removed from their families upon their seventh summer and forced to live in barracks with other boys their age. I understand they are made to steal food as a way to become self-suffient. If they are caught, they are beaten as punishment for being unsuccessful. I also understand they must go to the caves along the coast where they remain until they are visited by their…what do you call it? Their spirit animal?

Deklan nodded proudly. With nothing but the cloak on their back, a loin cloth, and a walking stick. It is a survival technique that weeds out the weak. It may take days or weeks, but the strong will see their animal and return to us ready to begin their training. He spread his hands out. The others are never seen again. The vision quest is vital to our culture and the development of our military, Samara.

Staring into his handsome face, Samara said, Yes, I have read stories about these vision quests. Scholars have researched the phenomenon of the Sourisak visions. It is my understanding that starvation and dehydration makes people hallucinate. Perhaps this is nothing more than the body playing tricks on the undeveloped minds of these children.

Deklan stiffened but never dropped his smile. Through clenched teeth, he said, I do not expect you to understand our society, considering you have led the privileged life of a spoiled-brat princess allowed to do nothing but read books and attend lectures. But once we are married, that is going to change.

Samara raised her eyebrows but stood her ground. Is that your father I hear? she mocked. As he winced at her words, she continued, I do not expect you, a man incapable of independent thought, to understand my society. I have learned to think critically using facts and statistics while you are told what to think. Her smiled broadened as she whispered, Nothing is going to change.

His smile faltered. I guess we will see about that.

She nodded. I guess we will.

At that moment, the temple priest entered the hall to perform the ceremonial marriage rite. Samara took Deklan’s offered arm again. They clenched their teeth and returned to their fathers. Seru took Samara by the arm and led her to the right side of the platform, where the priest waited. Deklan and his father stood on the left.

The priest, named Akon, wore the garments of his office. A white kilt with a red silk sash draped across his left shoulder to his right hip. In his right hand, he held the gold scepter bequeathed upon him by Seru when he took the office of head temple priest. Like the men in his position, his head was shaved bald with a small black lock braided at the nape of his neck.

Akon gestured for the couple to approach and stand in front of him. He motioned for those in attendance to quieten down as he began to recite the prayers and incantations of the wedding vows.

Samara tried to remain calm and control her breathing as her father proudly stood by listening to the priest. She snuck a look around the room. Everyone seemed pleased with the arrangement of the two leaders of the nations. Her anxiety at the prospect of being committed to the man next her and his family increased with each word spoken.

Samara let out a slow steady breath. She searched the crowd for Anya’s face to help calm her nerves, but she could not find her. She began to feel lightheaded. The words the priest spoke seemed muffled in her ears. All she wanted was for this to be finished so she could step outside for some air and to collect her thoughts.

As Akon neared the end of the ceremony, Samara sensed a slight buzz in the air. The hair on the back of her neck and arms stood up. It seemed as if the air in the room had become electrified and dense, making it harder to breath. Her gut told her something was happening.

She looked around to see if anyone else felt it. Then her head began to swim. She became distressed and felt herself on the edge of panic. The air around her seemed to crackle and vibrate. It was as if someone in the great hall was using a powerful magic. Suddenly, there was a flash of purple light, and the space around her exploded.

Samara could not recall the moment her feet came out from beneath her. She only remembered sliding across the smooth marble floor, away from the ceremonial platform. Akon had been thrown forward, landing beside her. Deklan was nowhere in sight.

Slowly, Samara lifted her head. Her vision swam. She rolled onto her side, trying to locate her father and Anya in the confusion. When she looked back toward the center of the room, what she saw was a peculiar-looking man wearing a long brown cloak tied at the waist with a cord. He was standing on the wedding platform, where she and Deklan were but a moment before.

He was tall and gaunt. He had long straight white hair and a short white beard. His skin was like aged leather. He held an iron staff topped with a smoking misshapen crystal in his large bony hand. He appeared out of place in the royal palace. Samara thought maybe she was having a waking dream.

Then his eyes locked onto hers. She rolled over and raised herself up on her elbows to face him. Without taking his eyes from hers, he purposefully walked over to her, knelt beside her, and smiled. In a deep voice, he said, I’ve been looking everywhere for you, my dear.

Chapter 2

Prophecy

The sounds of chaos filled her ears.

Samara lay on the cool floor stunned. She could not take her eyes off the strange man kneeling beside her. He spoke as if he knew her, though she knew they had never met. He held out his hand to help her to her feet. She took it and stood. His eyes were the deepest smoky gray she had never seen.

Looking at him, she said, Your beard is smoking.

Looking down, his eyes widened. His beard was indeed smoking. He frantically patted it down with his hands then returned his gaze back to Samara. When he smiled at her, his face softened.

She felt a slight throbbing at the back of her head. Not taking her eyes off him, she reached around with her left hand to touch the painful spot where it had hit the floor. The strange man placed the palm of his hand gently on her right temple, mumbled something under his breath, and the pain disappeared.

Her eyes grew wide. Who are you?

I am Zlatan, magician of Cotter Town. And I have been looking for you for a long time now. He seemed to smile with relief as he spoke. You must come with me.

His words startled Samara.

Why would I go anywhere with you? she asked.

Because, he replied, not to put too fine a point on it, if you don’t, it will mean the end of Vallasetu.

Samara stared at him, transfixed by his statement. Not understanding his meaning, she shook her head to clear it. She sensed, more than saw, someone step between her and Zlatan.

Deklan placed both hands on Zlatan’s chest and roughly pushed him away from Samara. Turning to her, he asked, Are you hurt?

I’m fine, thank you, she replied with a smile.

Anya also came to Samara’s side. The look of concern on her young face mirrored that of everyone in the room. She touched Anya’s cheek with her thumb then gently stepped around Deklan to stand in front of Zlatan. "I don’t understand. I