Category: Fantasy Publisher: KBS
ISBN-10: 1419686356
Type: Fiction
Pages: 190
Copyright: 1998
ISBN-13: 9781419686351
Seventeen years have passed since the end of the Targa Trilogy and the Children of the Ancient Prophecy have avoided detection, until now.
The Children have fled and the evil forces of Sarac are in hot pursuit. Gathered by a pair of gypsies, three boys and two girls join forces to wield the ancient Sword of Heavens, the only artifact that can defeat Sarac. The sword, however, must be restored before it can be used properly.
Not knowing whom they can trust, the Children embark on an adventure to seek the Sapphire of the Fairies.
Sarac is alerted to the beginning of the prophecy and the existence of the Children, but nobody knows which two of the youngsters are the Children of the Prophecy, not even the Children themselves.
Excerpt
The boys headed along the shore towards the south end of Lorgo. When they reached the quay, the woman in the green dress stepped out in front of them. Tedi grabbed Arik’s sleeve and the boys ran out to the end of one of the docks. The woman slowly marched after them and paused not ten feet from the end of the dock where Arik and Tedi stood with no escape. The woman stood staring at them, her long black hair twisted into a single braid as thick as an oar shaft.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
For several moments, the boys pondered their position. Certainly they could leap into the sea and she wouldn’t follow or maybe they could just run past her. When they refused to answer and the woman realized that they still planned to evade her, she moved her hands and the boys were frozen in place from the neck down. Arik tried to move his arms and legs and failed. His body refused to listen to his commands and it tingled like he was just doused with a bucket of ice-cold water. Only his head moved and he realized that it was sweating. Looking at Tedi, he realized that his friend was experiencing the same thing with sweat pouring down his face.
“I’m sorry if we’ve offended you, Mistress,” Arik croaked. “Whatever it is you think we’ve done, I apologize for it. If you could just see it in your good grace to release us, I promise we won’t bother you anymore.”
“Shut up!” she shouted. Lowering her voice as she came closer, she stared Arik in the eyes. “What is your name, youngling?” she demanded.
“Arik Clava, Mistress,” Arik whispered, “and my friend is Tedi Markel.”
“Tell me how old you are,” commanded the witch as she came toe-to-toe with Arik, her breath smelling strongly of onions.
“Fourteen years,” wheezed Arik trying unsuccessfully to lean back away from the strong odor. “And so is Tedi,” he quickly appended.
“You look much older than fourteen,” she scowled. “Perhaps you need a lesson in truth telling. How old are your parents and where do they live?”
Sweat was dripping into Arik’s eyes and his nose was starting twitch. Arik was focusing on the woman’s face when all of a sudden, she literally rose up and was tossed into the sea. The moment she hit the water, the spell binding the two boys broke and they took off running down the dock. They didn’t stop running until they entered the woods at the south end of town. They both collapsed into a gully and turned to watch the path from town. Long minutes of silence passed before either one talked.
“What was all that about?” asked Tedi. “And why did you lie about our ages?”
“I don’t know,” answered Arik. “Nothing about today makes much sense. I guess I figured if she thought we were younger, the punishment for whatever it was that I was supposed to have done would be less because we were younger. I don’t know why, but I don’t mind telling you that I was scared like I’ve never been scared before.”
Tedi nodded in agreement and wiped the sweat from his short black hair. “Why is everyone interested in our age all of a sudden? First the merchant asks me three times and now this . . . witch. This witch uses magic on us in broad daylight and demands to know how old we are. How did you manage to trip her anyway? I was frozen solid except for my head.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Arik quivered. “Somebody else tossed her into the sea.”
“What do you mean someone else?” quizzed Tedi. “There wasn’t anyone else around. Nobody in sight anywhere.”
“I know,” Arik grimaced, “but I was looking at her face when it happened. She was more surprised than we were. Someone used magic on her like she was using on us."
Excellent read - highly recommended - 5 stars - Molly Martin
In "Sapphire of the Fairies: Book one of Sword of Heavens" Writer Tuttle has produced another humdinger in his delightful first in a series. The enterprise is filled with the well developed characters, pithy dialogue and fast paced action we have enjoyed in Tuttle's previous works. From the opening line where we are drawn into the action with the screaming of an unseen woman right down to the last paragraph when we at last understand role of "The Sapphire of the Fairies" and what it portends for Arik the reader is held captivated.
Arik and Tedi are much more than they might appear when first introduced, the villains are filled with enough evil to thrill and the champions are heroic in every sense. Author Tuttle's written output only improves as he continues producing volume upon volume of excellent work. The twists and turns of plot are a delight as always. One nice addition to this manuscript is a full page map of the diversified areas offered in the various series of works to date.
The third book of the trilogy, The Chronicles of Henry Roach-Dairier, this volume, as with the others, will appeal to both adults and young adults. Readers will experience several levels of meaning from literal to social satire.
Retail Price: $15
