Through the Land of Illusion

By Gunnar E Garrett Jr.

Each of the four royal siblings--Eris, Ranger, Merrick, and Cora--has received a magical stone of the Gods to assist with peacefully ruling their separate territories. But when one of the royals becomes greedy for power and turns on the others, the kingdom is thrown into disarray. Fifteen-year-old Anika, Cora's heir, has no idea of her origins, or the power she possesses. Her father, William, led her to believe her mother is dead and that Anika herself is merely a magician's daughter.

But there is no escaping fate.

Strange men seeking the missing stone discover Anika's connection to Cora. Kidnapped and transported back to Valgard, Anika finally learns the truth about her heritage.

To save the kingdom and her birthright, she must determine who in her family she can trust and who will commit the ultimate betrayal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Oct 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781528957137

Gunnar E Garrett Jr.

Gunnar E Garrett Jr. joined the United States Air Force after high school, where he worked as a nuclear weapons specialist for four years. After his time with the Air Force, he continued on with his military career with the Army National Guard. During his eight years with the Guard, he was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since then, he has dedicated his time to writing, whereby he has won more than twenty film festival and screenplay competitions and been nominated more than a hundred times.

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About The Author

Gunnar E Garrett Jr. was born and raised in Modesto, California. After high school, he joined the US Air Force and worked as a nuclear weapons specialist. Continuing his military career by serving in the Army National Guard, he volunteered to deploy to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Once honorably discharged from the military, Gunnar went on to study mechanical design, spending most of his free time with his five daughters. Gunnar was inspired to pursue a writing career when his second oldest daughter, Madison Mae, became interested in the film industry. Gunnar’s screenplays have been nominated in more than 50 film festivals and global writing competitions.

About the Book

Each of the four royal siblings—Eris, Ranger, Merrick, and Cora—has received a magical stone of the Gods to assist with peacefully ruling their separate territories. But when one of the royals becomes greedy for power and turns on the others, the kingdom is thrown into disarray. Fifteen-year-old Anika, Cora’s heir, has no idea of her origins, or the power she possesses. Her father, William, led her to believe her mother is dead and that Anika herself is merely a magician’s daughter.

But there is no escaping fate.

Strange men seeking the missing stone discover Anika’s connection to Cora. Kidnapped and transported back to Valgard, Anika finally learns the truth about her heritage.

To save the kingdom and her birthright, she must determine who in her family she can trust and who will commit the ultimate betrayal.

Dedication

For my daughters.

Thank you for the ongoing inspiration. Your daddy loves you!

Copyright Information ©

Gunnar E Garrett Jr. (2019)

The right of Gunnar E Garrett Jr. to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalog record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528957137 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2019)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

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E14 5LQ

Chapter 1

The Great Escape

Through the dense trees and brush of the Valgard Forest, the simplest of creatures including birds and squirrels, sing their songs of comfort alongside the sounds of insects moving forward with the daily routine of hard work required to prepare for the harsh winter. Though it’s only midsummer, with winter several months away, the life cycles are instinctive, and animals push forward, knowing their time is limited.

A rustling and snapping of twigs, branches, and leaves in the distance closes in rapidly, sending the forest into a frenzy, ending the peaceful routine, and causing a sense of panic and self-preservation to fill the area as the wildlife flee to safety.

Sprinting between the trees and pushing brush to the side with one hand, a hooded young man avoids fallen trees, stumps, and other pitfalls of the forest as he rapidly hurls himself from one obstacle to the next, never slowing. As he defends against the thickets of the forest with his one hand, he guards a tightly swaddled infant in a blanket in the other.

Out of breath and struggling to suck the oxygen he needs into his lungs, the hooded man slows to a stop and quickly scans the area, paying particular attention to the path behind him, making sure whoever—or whatever—may be after him hasn’t closed in. Satisfied he’s created enough distance between himself and those in pursuit, he peels back the blanket tucked around the infant. Without a clean look at this hooded man’s face, the infant, safe from all evil, innocently smiles at this hooded escape artist.

With time not in the man’s favor, his smile fades, letting the worry and haunting thoughts of those he eludes take over. Beneath his cloak, he reaches into one of his pockets and removes an ornate gold pocket watch, with swirls of what looks like the eye of a hurricane seen from space, or even the image of water spinning about itself as it escapes down a drain. The age of the watch shows; its shine has almost completely gone, long covered with the oils, dirt, and grime of the fingertips from those who have held this wondrous treasure.

As the hooded man brings the watch into his view, he clicks it open, releasing an amber glow that illuminates his and the child’s face. Like most watches, it has the hour, minute, and second hands. Although the hour and minute hands fail to move, the second hand rotates counterclockwise and then abruptly stops, causing him to lift his head and peer off into the distance where the watch has directed him.

He places the watch back into his pocket beneath his cloak, kisses the child on the forehead, and carefully tucks the blanket snugly around the child’s face. Then, he cautiously proceeds forward through the Valgard Forest, shifting branches and tree limbs alike from his path.

After a few hundred feet farther in his journey, the hooded man pushes one last tree branch to the side and steps forward to the edge of the Valgard Forest, feasting his eyes on the Land of Illusion. A vast, destroyed land, the Land of Illusion appears to have burned to the ground, but only after being ravaged by the likes of a tornado. The vast valley has been littered with random objects, ranging from chairs, tents, swords, arrows, and other supplies found in medieval towns, camps, and villages across Europe during the Dark Ages. Trees lay on their sides, some half-missing and appearing to be sawed in half, yet there are no signs of people or other life.

Gazing out on this desolate yet chaotic wonder of land, the hooded man watches a chair fall to the ground from thin air only a few feet away. Quickly, he shields the child from harm as the chair crashes, shattering to pieces before his eyes, only adding to the collection of other mysterious objects strewn about this curious land.

***

Behind the walls of Valgard Castle are Princess Cora, a sweet twenty-year-old woman and the youngest of four siblings. Her natural beauty would only be diminished with the addition of any form of cosmetics. She walks at her brother’s side, occasionally wiping her teary eyes. Her brother, Prince Rangor, is two years elder than her and the next-youngest sibling. Already a bold, proven, and muscular warrior, he slows his pace to adjust for Cora’s hesitancy in proceeding forward.

We mustn’t keep Father waiting any longer than need be. Believe me, I feel your pain, dear Sister, but our father needs us. More now than ever, says Rangor, placing his hand on Cora’s shoulder.

As much as I fear for our father’s likelihood of survival, his death isn’t the loss I mourn, says Cora, wiping her tears and continuing forward.

Rangor watches, deep in thought, as Cora proceeds down the stone walls and past tapestries of the previous kings and queens of their land. Among the tapestries are paintings of the gods, coming down from the heavens to bring not only life but also the sun, earth, wind, fire, heart, and all other elements that bind the land of Valgard with the magic left behind for the kings and the neighboring lands.

Wait! What is the loss you speak of? Rangor takes a few quick steps to catch up with his sister.

Just before a junction in the hallway, Cora turns back to Rangor, who awaits her answer. Before she can reply, a tear falls, and she wipes it away. Rangor knows.

Sister? Where are William and Anika? Rangor is fearful they are the loss she speaks of.

Cora stares deep into his eyes and then, without a word, turns the corner, leaving Rangor alone among the ghosts of gods and kings who line the hall.

***

Near the door leading into the king’s chamber at the end of a darkened hallway, Cora waits. Rangor rounds the corner to wait with her and finds Prince Merrick, the elder brother at twenty-five years of age, draped in black. Mysterious lore surrounds his aura. He’s perched in an unlit corner, his back resting against the wall, doing what he can to keep to himself.

Any sign of Eris? asks Rangor. Cora remains silent, and Merrick shakes his head. Rangor continues. Is there any change?

Not that I’ve heard, says Merrick, never lifting his head to acknowledge Rangor.

Clack-clack-clack-clack

The sound of heels echoes down the hall and draws their attention. From around the corner appears their eldest sibling and sister, twenty-seven-year-old Princess Eris. She stops near Rangor without the slightest acknowledgment from them. She clears her throat in hopes of a response, but nobody offers one.

Well, I’m glad to see we’re all still on speaking terms, says Eris condescendingly. I gather we weren’t called here for good news regarding Father’s illness.

In an uncomfortable silence, the siblings wait outside the door to their father’s chamber for word of why they’ve been called to his side on such short notice. Merrick does what he can to stay from the light in the hall with his head down, though he’s lifted his eyes on more than one occasion to take a glimpse of Eris and her long, overbearing white gown and her arrogant posture that consumes the hall. Rangor stands but a few feet away from Eris, uncomfortable with her posture and the way she’s glaring down on Cora, who waits silently, tears falling.

You do realize this is your fault, Eris says to Cora, no longer able to hold her tongue, still bitter at her younger sister for what she thinks is the cause of her father’s illness.

William’s presence had nothing to do with Father’s condition, says Rangor in defense of his younger sister.

Eris’s temper flares, and she raises her voice. Regardless, she had no right to bring him here. And there’s no denying that since William’s arrival, Father’s been nothing but ill. And unlike you, Brother, I refuse to stand by and pretend she’s not to blame. She points toward Cora.

Sister or not, you had best mind your tongue, says Rangor, wrapping his fingers around the pommel of his sword.

Or what would you do, Rangor? asks Eris with an enticing arrogance.

Eyes glaring deep into each other’s, Rangor and Eris are in a standoff, waiting for the other to make the first move. Though Cora seems to ignore the confrontation, Merrick takes notice and watches carefully as his two siblings stand on the doorstep of a brewing battle.

Eris, eyes locked with Rangor’s, gives a subtle smirk, enticing Rangor to draw his sword, swinging it from the sheath. As fast as he does, Eris raises her hand, freezing his sword in place as he continues mightily to face the sword against her, who struggles to keep it at bay.

Merrick’s finished watching his brother and sister struggle and try to harm each other. He pushes himself off the wall from the darkness and into the light, with the annoyance of a master in any craft watching two amateurs do their best yet failing to do anything effective. With the effortless wave of Merrick’s hand, Rangor’s sword drops to the ground, and Eris’s body momentarily goes limp.

Enough! Merrick says. Fighting among ourselves will bring nothing but sorrow and heartache to our father, as well as our land. True, the outsider should never have been brought here, but what’s done is done. It has no bearing on Father, other than the love for his new grandchild and, whether you agree or not, the future of our kingdom.

And what of our kingdom, Merrick? You’re willing to forego your birthright for the child of an outsider? asks Eris, seething at the idea that someone not of true blood could conceivably be ruling the kingdom at some point.

The child is of our blood, says Merrick.

The child is an abomination, says Eris.

The child is gone, says Cora quietly, without turning to look at her sister.

Rangor,