The Desert Sun, An Archer Adventure, Book 5

By Katharine Giles

A precious gem is stolen and the desert Kingdom of Saphra desperately needs Archer and Aradia’s help. They set out to find the thief and return the Desert Sun so Saphra’s heir can be crowned. But the thief carried the gem through the portal to the world of Archer's childhood where Saphra’s crystal master can’t follow.

Archer and Aradia must travel through Saphra's crystal ball into the parallel world of Archer's childhood and follow the clues that lead them across the desert of ancient Egypt where danger waits at every turn. But they battle their way past bandits, roaming lions and hissing cobras to find an unexpected surprise at the end of their journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Katharine Giles
• Release date: Sep 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370269778

Katharine Giles

Her many adventures gave Katharine an advantage when she wrote The Archer Adventure Series. Born in Wyoming, her family moved to the West Coast so early in her life that she barely remembered days on the dude ranch where her grandfather worked as foreman and her cowboy father sang Western songs to the dudes around evening campfires.Katharine's parents loved to travel America's highways and always explored side roads when an interesting sign coaxed them off the Interstate. This is how she discovered getting lost could be an adventure. She learned to fly and toured the Western states with her pilot husband to attend small airport Fly-Ins that hosted everything from Barbecues to Pancake Breakfasts.She's been salmon fishing over the Columbia River Bar in Oregon, deep sea fishing at San Pedro, California, and Mazatlan, Mexico. She's traveled East to West across Mexico on the famous Copper Canyon train, visited the dolphins in Topolobampo Bay and toured Santa Catalina Island (the Channel Islands West of Los Angeles) by boat, seaplane and twin-engine plane that landed at the airport in the sky.She later took scuba lessons and became a PADI Certified Diver. A passion for cooking prompted her to write three cookbooks and compete in a Pace Picante Sauce cooking contest where she won $1,000 First Place prize with a creative soup recipe. After obtaining a Diamond Certificate from The Gemological Institute of America and completing their Colored Stone Course, she became a silver smith so she could design and create custom jewelry for family and friends. Along the way, Katharine added roller skating, bowling, sailing, ballroom dancing, and competition shooting to her list of interests.A few memorable adventures as a solo long-haul driver across America include picking up a load of Christmas trees on a mountain top, dropping a load of tires in a cow pasture where the cattle surrounded her truck before she made it through the gate because they were expecting a hay delivery, and frantically searching for a police escort when she got her big truck lost in the middle of New York City. Getting lost in the big city turned out to be more traumatic than the time she drove her 18-wheeler, with its 53-foot trailer, to the end of a dead-end road.Katharine's many travels by air, land and sea took her down America's Interstates from Victoria, B.C., to Key West, Florida, and from Montreal, Canada, to Tijuana, Mexico, and she's visited every state except Alaska. While she continues her passion for writing, she enjoys painting acrylics on canvas and daily walks with her dog, Jasper.

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THE DESERT SUN

An Archer Adventure

Book V

Katharine Giles

Copyright 2017 © Katharine Giles

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage or retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locations is not necessarily substantiated by fact.

Cover Image: © Shutterstock:744107

Cover Design: © Katharine Giles

Distributed by Smashwords

Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

Author Website: www.thearcheradventures.com

Version 2017.09.15

Digitally created in the United States of America

In Remembrance of

Harriet Aurelia (Giles) Swanson.

Aunt Melba

who remained forever young

for 97 years.

Table of Contents

Glossary & Phonic Pronunciation Guide

Chapter One: Desert Intrigue

Chapter Two: Reunion

Chapter Three: Journey Into Danger

Chapter Four: The Beggar

Chapter Five: Betrayed

Chapter Six: Night Stalkers

Chapter Seven: Ancient Gods

Chapter Eight: Temple of Horus-Ra

Chapter Nine: Palace Treachery

Chapter Ten: Deadly Secrets

Preview of Book VI: Fire Sled

An Archer Adventure

More Books by This Author

About The Author

The yellow sand ran 'cross the land

With wondrous sights to see.

But only one, The Desert Sun,

Became a mystery.

This precious jewel of desert rule

Became my ardent task.

It was the hope that I could cope

And peel away the mask

Of one who came to change the game

Of Saphra's heir to be.

I found the thief beyond belief,

For it surely wasn't he!

Archer….

Glossary & Phonic Pronunciation Guide

Akmet (Ahk-met): Soli-Ra's Cousin

Aradia (Uh-ray-dee-uh): Archer’s Teacher

Archer (Are-chur): Prince of Water, Heir to Skye

Balycon (B-owl-ee-kahn): Archer's Underwater Home

Cheops (Kee-ops):Greek Name for Khufu

Damani (Duh-mahn-ee): Crystal Master of Skye

Horus-Ra(Hor-us-rah): Egyptian Gods: Horus & Ra*

Ja-Met (Juh-met):Fictitious Egyptian City

Ka-Tel (Kuh-tel): Fictitious Egyptian City

Khufu (Koo-foo): 4th Dynasty Pharaoh of Egypt

Lemandia (Luh-man-dee-uh): 4th Dimension Earth Kingdom

Manto (Man-toe): Archer’s Carpin Steed

Mustafa (Moo-stah-fuh): Beggar

Omar (Oh-mar): Mule Seller

Pacion (Pass-ee-own): Archer's Mentor

Pazia (Pah-zee-uh): Temple Priestess

Pharis (Fair-us): Aradia’s Carpin Steed

Ra-Homen (Rah-Ho-men): Ruler of Saphra

Saphra (Saf-ruh): 4th Dimension Desert Kingdom

Soli-Ra (Soul-ee-Rah): Son of Ra-Homen

Vadia (Vay-dee-uh): Crystal Master of Saphra

Zirco (Zer-koh): Ruler of Skye

*Horus-Ra, the author's corruption of Ra-Horekhty

Archer’s Adventures recorded and told by Korina, Story Teller of Skye

Chapter One

Desert Intrigue

Damani stared into the depths of Skye’s crystal ball and called an image from its core. Swirling rainbows, created by the crystal points on the walls of Balycon’s communication chamber rose through the mist and as soon as Pacion’s image replaced the rainbows, Damani smiled.

Good morning, he greeted.

Good morning, Pacion replied. The news must be important for you to call this early.

King Zirco asked me to invite Archer and Aradia to Skye, Damani remarked. He has a task for them.

I'll call them, Pacion replied. He closed his eyes and sent a telepathic message through the sea.

Archer. Aradia. You're needed at the communication chamber.

An instant later, Archer and Aradia appeared at his side. Archer glanced at Damani's image in the crystal ball before he turned to greet Pacion.

Good morning, Pacion. I see Damani’s calling. It must be important for him to interrupt my morning lesson.

I don’t know what it’s about, Pacion responded. He told me he needs to speak with both of you.

Archer met Damani's eyes and asked, Do you want to say hello to Aradia?

Aradia and I can visit later, Damani told him. Your grandfather sends greetings and requests your presence in Skye.

I always enjoy seeing Grandfather, Archer told him. We’ll be right there.

Archer grabbed Aradia’s outstretched hand and closed his eyes. As soon as Damani’s image appeared in the blackness beneath his lids, he expressed a desire to be at his side. When images of fluffy white clouds replaced Damani's, Archer opened his eyes to find he and Aradia had arrived at Skye's communication chamber. Before he could properly greet Damani, Aradia tapped him on the arm.

Archer looked at her and asked, What’s wrong?

She pointed at the water dripping off their bodies and disappearing into the mist at their feet. We need to dry off.

I’ll do it, Archer replied with a grin. I love doing odd tasks with my imaging skills.

Archer closed his eyes, pictured the water gone from their bodies, looked up and remarked, All dry and faster than towels.

Damani shook his head and smiled at Archer before he stepped forward to hug his daughter.

It's good to see you again, he told Aradia. It's been too long since your last visit.

I’ve missed you, Father. I’m glad you’re helping me with Archer’s lessons because I get to visit with you as often as I want.

Damani stepped back to give Aradia a loving glance. Her long black hair, wet from the sea, framed her perfect features and porcelain skin. Long, dark lashes enhanced her blue eyes and the metallic fabric in her red swimwear shimmered in Skye’s muted light.

You're looking well, he told her. Do you like living on the Earth Star?

It’s exciting. Archer is learning the skills he inherited from his mother and father so rapidly that he constantly challenges me to find new ways to teach him how to use them.

I’ve seen Archer's progress in the questions you ask which keeps me aware of your difficulties with his lessons.

You said Grandfather needs to see us, Archer reminded him.

He has an assignment for you, Damani replied. He’s waiting in the throne room but before we join him you must change into proper clothing. Swimwear is not appropriate attire for an audience with the king even though he is your grandfather.

Damani reached into the mist above his head, lowered his hand and held clothing for each of them. Aradia reached for the floor-length robe of red metallic fabric that shone like a pool of molten lava. She tucked her clear crystal charm beneath her swimwear, slipped the robe over her head and let her red gemstone charm drop to the end of its chain outside her clothing.

While Aradia dressed, Damani extended a white tunic and matching trousers to Archer. The multicolored stars splashed across the metallic fabric mimicked the stars in his tank top and trunks as well as the puddles of color in his fire stone charm. Archer stepped into the trousers, tucked his crystal triad charm beneath his tank top, slipped the tunic over his head and, like Aradia, let his fire stone charm, a gift from his grandfather, drop to the end of its chain outside his clothes.

While Archer and Aradia adjusted their clothing and charms, Damani studied Archer and shook his head. In the short time since his arrival in Balycon, subtle differences had aged him beyond his 14 earth years. His life in the underwater kingdom on the Earth Star kept him bronzed and fit and no one could doubt his parentage for he'd inherited his mother’s blonde hair and violet eyes.

After Archer and Aradia finished dressing, they stood side by side and looked at Damani. Damani smiled, reached for their hands and told them, Close your eyes.

Archer and Aradia closed their eyes and their clothing rustled around them until Damani told them to look up. They opened their eyes and discovered they’d arrived at Skye’s throne room and stood on either side of Damani.

King Zirco’s purple metallic robe shone like metal beneath the links of a massive gold chain that displayed a white gemstone charm surrounded by flashing purple gems. In a kingdom where buildings, plants and trees were created with fluffy white clouds, Skye’s king sat on a throne that could only be described as a collection of small clouds jammed together in the shape of a massive chair.

King Zirco met Archer’s eyes told him, Welcome to Skye. It’s good to see you again.

Hello Grandfather, Archer replied in a voice that reflected awe at his grandfather’s commanding presence.

King Zirco met Aradia’s eyes and told her, Damani keeps me aware of Archer's progress with his lessons. You're doing a fine job.

Aradia smiled at his praise but before she could reply, Archer interrupted, Damani said you wanted to see us.

I invited you and Aradia to Skye on a matter of great importance, King Zirco responded. I'm sending you to my favorite city on the Earth Star to offer your assistance to its king.

King Zirco glanced at Damani and said, Damani will explain.

Archer and Aradia turned to Damani who looked at Archer and told him, You've visited some of your father's kingdoms beneath the earth’s seas. Before you can claim your birthright, you must visit your grandfather's earth kingdoms as well.

Excited at the promise of a new adventure and eager to discover the location of his grandfather’s favorite earth city, Archer eagerly awaited Damani's next words.

Many centuries ago, your grandfather built the city of Saphra in the middle of a great desert on the Earth Star, Damani began.

Confused by Damani’s words, Archer interrupted, I’ve never heard of a city by that name. Is it a large city? Is it unusual?

I don't know what you mean by unusual, Damani responded. It does, however, have one unusual feature. Skye’s builders placed a glass pyramid inside the city walls.

Saphra must be in Egypt, Archer responded. I’ve read stories about the Egyptian pyramids but none of the stories mentioned a glass one. Why are we going there?

Damani silenced Archer with his next words. Please be patient and let me explain.

I'm sorry.

Ra-Homen, the King of Saphra, scheduled a ceremony to place his first-born son on Saphra’s throne.

A bewildered Archer asked, What does a coronation in a foreign kingdom have to do with us?

Damani’s stern look stopped Archer from saying more. If you'll be quiet, you'll learn why your grandfather called you here.

Sorry, Archer told him.

Damani continued. The Desert Sun has been stolen and its theft stopped the ceremony. Because a new ruler can't be named until The Desert Sun is found, your grandfather wants you and Aradia to travel to Saphra to find it.

Archer’s eyes reflected his puzzlement when he asked, What's The Desert Sun?

It’s a yellow gemstone and Saphra's most prized possession, Damani replied. I'll show it to you in the crystal ball before you leave.

Puzzled by their task, Aradia asked,Why do you need our help? Why don’t you ask the crystal ball to find the missing gem?

Neither I nor Saphra's crystal master can do that.

Why not? asked Archer and Aradia simultaneously.

If The Desert Sun were in Saphra, we could find it, Damani replied. That’s why King Zirco needs your help. The loss of The Desert Sun could not have happened unless the thief is familiar with the crystal ball’s powers.

Why do you say that? asked Archer.

He found a way to make The Desert Sun disappear.

Archer looked at his grandfather. I don’t know understand why you called me and Aradia. If two crystal masters can’t find The Desert Sun, what can we do?

You have a rare skill that can help you solve this crime, King Zirco replied. Damani and the crystal master of Saphra can't find The Desert Sun because the thief carried it through a portal and into the parallel world. You have the ability to travel through this portal and take Aradia with you. Once there, the two of you can use the skills of Skye, Water and Earth and your knowledge of the Earth Star to find the missing gem.

Bewildered by his grandfather’s words, Archer replied, I didn’t know I could take Aradia into the parallel world.

Damani searched the crystal ball to discover the depth of your skills, King Zirco told him. Before you returned the Crystal of All Time to its proper place in Balycon, you developed a skill that allowed you to move it through a force field shield. That same skill will let you take Aradia into the parallel world.

Archer met Damani’s eyes and the expression on his face prompted Damani’s next words, What’s troubling you, Archer?

Pacion told me that Balycon is in a world parallel to the world of my childhood. Are you saying that after we arrive in Saphra you want us to travel through a portal that takes us into the world I knew as a child?

Your question tells me that you understand the task, Damani replied. The thief has taken the Desert Sun into the world of your childhood.

You said the thief took The Desert Sun through that portal, Archer remarked. If I'm the only one who can travel through the portals between worlds, how did he do it?

King Zirco smiled at Archer and told him, I’m impressed. You’ve learned to ask important questions. Damani will answer your question and explain the difficulty of your task.

I figured this wouldn’t be easy, Archer replied. What exactly do you want us to do?

Before Damani answers that question, I've asked him to give you more information about Saphra, King Zirco replied.

Damani met Archer’s eyes before he spoke. I once told you how I sometimes find unexpected events when I seek answers in the crystal ball. When the crystal ball’s response to a question isn’t what I expect, I usually explore that response to learn what I’ve discovered.

I know what you’re talking about, Archer replied. That’s happened to me a couple of times. What does that have to do with anything?

If you'll stop interrupting, I'll tell you, Damani scolded.

Sorry.

Many centuries ago, the crystal ball showed me a young man struggling to survive a desert storm in your childhood world.

What does something that happened that long ago have to do with The Desert Sun? Archer asked, puzzled by Damani’s story.

The look on Damani's face made Archer close his mouth and tell him, I'll try not to interrupt again.

While I watched the young man’s struggle, I asked the crystal ball to tell me more about him. I relayed his story to your grandfather who told me to find a way to save his life. I sent a charm to Saphra’s crystal master that allowed her to send a rescue party through the portal and into the parallel world. They found the young man unconscious and near death and carried him back to Saphra. After he regained his health, he stayed in Saphra for many years before he returned to his homeland.

Now I’m really confused, Archer remarked. If traveling between the parallel worlds is so difficult, how did the lost traveler do it?

During his stay in Saphra he became close friends with Saphra’s king. Ra-Homen often let him use the charm to travel to his homeland to visit friends and relatives disguised as a beggar to discover the king’s enemies. After many centuries, the traveler expressed a desire to return to his people and Ra-Homen gave him the charm as a gift.

What happened to that charm? asked Archer.

"The disappearance of The Desert Sun suggests the rescued traveler returned to Saphra in his later