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From Barb Jacobs and Steven Philip Jones, creators of TALISMEN!
Mundania Press will publish
THE FRIGID CASTLE, the first novella
in THE SCEPTRE series, as an e-book in late 2006!
This fable unites and follows the adventures of three characters, beginning with PRINCE THORNDRAKE OF AELTHORNE, whose father was murdered and mother taken unwillingly as queen. The new king, VELDRIC, is imagined the savior son of the One Lord Returning by Aelthorne’s bishop, MASKIN XUL, who sponsored the usurpation when Thorndrake was only five. This story begins when the roguish Thorndrake is 18, banished from home and dam, then assaulted by Veldric’s fire-eaters. Only the intervention of legendary gryphon saves his life, as the wounded Thorndrake is borne away to safety from Aelthorne’s borders.
Next is RYNJAC of Laurel’s Hope. Rynjac is an incredible archer and a competent fighter who dreams of being a knight like his grandfather, SIR RYN OF LAURENCIA. Sir Ryn disappeared 50 years ago while trying to retrieve the Sceptre, an awesome magical talisman, after it was stolen by a handmaiden, MOLDREN, who cursed Laurencia and drove its denizens into the nearby Glyffa forest. Only 17 years old and headstrong, Rynjac intends to find the Sceptre one day and return the people of his village, Laurel’s Hope, back to their palace and heritage. When the archer is forced to repel Veldric’s fire-eaters after the cadre attacks Laurel’s Hope while searching for Thorndrake, Rynjac decides that time has come.
Last but far from least is LARK, the 8-year-old apprentice of MISTWIN, the oracle whose error gave Moldren the Sceptre. Mistwin and Lark live in the frigid castle of Laurencia along with with: BREE, last of the gryphons; a prophetic tapestry whose threads are woven by the sepulcher magic of Mistwin’s teacher, QUESTAR; and the sleeping PRINCES LAUREL, entombed in a diamond by Moldren. Just a child, Lark is inquisitive, sometimes frightened, energetic, clumsy, a brat, and not at all sure of himself. He is also the most powerful adept that Mistwin has ever encountered. A magical vessel, like the Sceptre, that could be used mightily by the unscrupulous.
Mistwin tells Thorndrake, Rynjac, and Lark, "You must unite to find Moldren. Bring back the Sceptre. Only when it’s regained can Laurencia be as it was. Only with the rod’s power can Aelthorne be returned to its rightful ruler. Only after the talisman is secured and protected once more may I rest in death, the way clear for noble Lark to succeed me."
What follows is a fable of friendship born out of adversity. It is about loss and recovery, love and spite, lust and humility, God and the indestructible soul. Motifs common to folklore and the Classics are mixed together with themes prevalent in Eastern and Western religions. They are all plopped down into a medieval-fantasy setting, where magic is sense as the undeniable force called FATE which great men forge into destiny and lesser men warp into power.