Dark Orb Synopsis

         

Brought to trial for damnation or salvation, the three wizards, Mnanan, Wauran, and Olritas, tell stories to their presence at the Ceremony of the Orb; to a fourth wizard, Drean, who must decide to free one or imprison two, or them all in the Dark Orb--a crystal sphere created by magic millennia ago that is a world within a world where others like they are imprisoned.

The wizard Drean and the apostolate, Poaldain, arrive at the temple to enact the Ceremony of the Orb. Visited there by King Ranthlan, Preeon monks who are there to pay homage and disguised Iptherian wizards intending to steal the Dark Orb. Inside the temple Drean is greeted by the high ranking wizard, Master Touree and meets the prisoner-wizard, Olritas, who tells of the failed attempt with mercenaries to steal the Elixir of Life from the Temple of Maedon. Through obstacles and defenders, they find the potion--and through a fight, he is captured while most of the mercenaries escape with their lives.

Through specialized apertures, the light of the sun, moon and a star, shines into the temple room and penetrates the Dark Orb resting on a stand in the center of the chamber. The light opens portals to the world within the sphere and two men, Mnanan and Wauran emerge from the Dark Orb, yet cannot escape its presence. Mnanan speaks first to his adventure prior to his removal from the Orb, how he and his friend, Toukee are taken by slavers and forced to fortress ruins to search for the Stone of the Ancients that can free them from the Orb. Mnanan finds the stone and with Toukee, outwit the slavers to escape. He holds the stone as the light from the alignment of celestial bodies penetrates the orb and strikes it, spiriting him to the land he left long ago to search for the Book of Calervum--a tome of magic placed in the orb for safe keeping.

A prisoner of slavers, Wauran, with five other captives, is taken to a river city where they are to fight in a tournament for a second stone--the games created by the warlord, Martoosh. Into the contest, Wauran helps rescue the girl, Eurren, given as tribute to the warlord, and other captives with him. Holding the second Stone of the Ancients, he is taken from the arena to stand before Drean and the other prisoners. As the sun, moon and star progress out of alignment, Drean struggles to which men, including himself, to send back.

Dark Orb is a completed novel anyone who enjoys fantasy and adventure would enjoy reading. I attended Kansas University, am a member of the Monday Night Writer's Group and a lifelong writer. I have won second place for my short story, The Golden Wings, in the Separate Worlds ezine picture prompt contest; second place for the short story, Runaway, in the Final Frontier Round Five contest; and the short story, Last Chance Saloon, in the LA Esquina 'Have I Been Here Before' artists and writers exhibit on memories of Kansas City.