The Prince And The Chalice: Legend Of The Chalice, #1

By Anthony Clark

When the legendary kingdom of Mivaria comes under seige by Queen Iona Howell, the youngest of three princes, Tristan Macleos, is desperate to assist his family in protecting the kingdom. Too young for a position of political power and too sheltered to be amongst the armies themselves Tristan decides to hunt for a magical artifact known as the Chalice of Emron, rumored to have been used by previous rulers of the kingdom of Mivaria to deal with their enemies, Tristan believe the chalice is the best chance the kingdom has to survive the onslaught of Queen Iona, but there may be more to the mystery of the chalice than Tristan and his friends realize..

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Phoenix Books
• Release date: Mar 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524222192

Book preview

1

Tristan MacLeos’ eyes became wide with wonder and excitement. He was lying on his back on his bed, reading Cadmain’s Codex of Ancient Magic when he came across one of those passages that sent both his mind and his heart racing. He rolled onto his stomach and propped himself on his elbows as he plopped the book on the bed and reread the passage. At sixteen, Tristan still hadn’t quite grown into his wiry body. His elbows and knees seemed to be moving in multiple directions simultaneously as he repositioned himself and reread the passage. He pushed his long black hair away from his face as he said the words out loud.

Lord Navin’s staff of power was the deciding factor in the Battle of Meridian Plain. Lord Navin invoked the magic of the staff to single-handedly sweep away the demon army the evil King Tagin had conjured and set against his forces. With the demons destroyed, Lord Navin’s knights were able to turn back King Tagin’s remaining human forces and turn back his advances. Tristan smiled as he pictured the scene. This could be exactly what I’ve been looking for, he whispered to himself.

Tristan MacLeos may be a member of the royal family, but unlike his older brothers Godfrey and Niall, he much preferred hunting for magical artifacts to practicing things like royal decorum and diplomacy. The fact that he never actually had found any of the artifacts he had searched for was a bit frustrating, but it didn’t stall his enthusiasm. He turned the page and continued reading.

When Lord Navin died five years later, his staff of power was burned along with his body in his funeral pyre in keeping with the Lord’s final wish. Believing the talisman he had created was too powerful to be trusted in the wrong hands, he had the staff destroyed to prevent it from being misused. Tristan pushed the book away in disappointment. So much for that idea, he groaned. He knew it was a long shot anyway. "Cadmain’s Codex of Ancient Magic was essentially just a book of fairy tales, but sometimes those stories had at least some truth to them. Magic had been gone from Mivaria for centuries now, but it had existed once. It stood to reason that at least some of the accounts listed in those pages might be real.

Tristan had to admit a staff that, with nothing more than a single wave, could make an entire army of demons vanish sounded as unlikely as the magic volcanic ash King Tagin used to conjure the demons in the first place. Each item had about as much chance of being real as the Infinity Gem, a glowing talisman that, according to the Codex, would allow whoever held it to speed up or slow down time with only a thought. Tristan and his friends had spent weeks looking for that only to finally conclude it wasn’t real. That was why Tristan left most of the research of magical artifacts to Joseph.

At the monastery Joseph Garadec had greater access to real books on magic that Tristan, and because he had been trained to read and speak so many languages he could interpret the books much more quickly than Tristan. At least, Tristan was pretty sure he could interpret them. Joseph’s interpretations of delicate and difficult passages tended to be off from time to time, and that had caused problems. Once, Joseph thought a passage in an ancient Bandite dialect stated a magical sword they were hunting had been hidden in the cellar of an old brothel. It turned out the Bandite words for library and brothel differ only slightly. Not only was there no magical sword to be found in the establishment, but it was a difficult conversation when Tristan had to explain to his parents his reason for sneaking into the place. It turns out being a prince doesn’t keep brothel owners from calling a thirteen-year-old boy’s mother and father when he’s caught climbing through the basement window.

The truth is that in more than three years of trying to recover the magic his people had lost, all Tristan had accomplished was actually debunking more magical myths than anyone else in the kingdom. That wasn’t exactly what he had envisioned in the beginning, but it wasn’t going to dampen his spirits, even though he just had hit another dead end. He let out a discouraged sigh as he tossed the book onto the desk across the room.

Honestly, I don’t know why you waste your time on that nonsense.

Tristan was startled when he looked and saw Niall standing there, smirking at him. Tristan had been so lost in thought he hadn’t heard his older brother enter. Niall’s deep blue eyes, the one trait that all three MacLeos brothers shared, were staring intently at Tristan, and he got the feeling Niall had been standing there for a while.

You shouldn’t sneak up on me like that, said Tristan defensively as he rose and put the book in the desk drawer. You may be my older brother but this is still my room.

I didn’t sneak up on you, Niall told him. I knocked but you didn’t hear me. I thought for a moment you had uttered a spell from that silly book that backfired and turned you deaf.

Why do you insist on making fun of me, Niall?

I’m not making fun of you. I’m just pointing out how you insist on wasting your time believing in fairy tales when instead you should be learning something more important and useful. You are a prince, after all. You should be concerning yourself with getting ready to run the kingdom one day.

Now that really would be a waste of my time, said Tristan, slumping back onto his bed. I’m third in line after father for the throne. Trust me; I have a better chance of finding every magical item listed in that book."

At least resume your combat training, Niall suggested. There may be only room for one king, but the army needs several good generals. We may be at peace now, but we both know that isn’t likely to last forever.

Between you and Godfrey, I think the army and the realm are in good hands.

Tristan, there are any number of ways you can serve the kingdom, even if you don’t sit on the throne or at the head of the army, that would be better than chasing after this nonsense.

Magic isn’t nonsense! Tristan shouted angrily. If I can recover the magic that our people, and our family in general, have lost, then I will be serving the monarchy in a way far more important than swinging a sword or negotiating a trade agreement.

I heard the same stories when I was growing up, Niall reminded him. I know how our ancestors were said to have wielded powerful magic to free our people, but if that were so, then why is their no evidence of it?

There is evidence, Tristan insisted. The books that Joseph reads in the monastery describe intricate magic and powerful talismans. They’re no different than the books that talk about long dead civilizations, and we find evidence of them all the time.

Joseph wouldn’t know if he’s reading about a magical amulet or merchant’s prized pig, Niall scoffed.

He might not get all the syntax right, but the books have been authenticated by the monks. Magic is real, Niall, or at least it used to be.

If that’s true, then how is it the two of you, along with Calum and Elisa, never have found anything to back that up, even after all of your reading and searching?

We will, said Tristan, his teeth clenched in anger. One day we will restore the magic that has been lost to Mivaria all this time. When we do, I’ll be celebrated as a hero.

What’s more likely is you won’t find anything because there never was anything to find in the first place. Then the only thing that will happen is you’ll be ridiculed and called a lunatic.

Well, either way, people will be talking about me.

"I swear if