Dorie Daydream In the Land of Idoj - Book 4: Mysta

By Glenn P. Murdock

It's magic...Dorie is devastated after her last encounter with the evil Queen Aneleh, and the horrifying events that took place in Sphera. Hesitant to continue, she finds that she and her friends have been transported to Mysta - a place of untold magic and growing powers for most of who reside there.
But not all is what it seems in Mysta. Twists of fate meet Dorie and her friends unexpectedly, leading them further on their quest and farther into unknown terrain. With changes around every turn, Dorie finds herself drawing strength from her past and encouragement for her future to gain control of her destiny.
Starting to regain her focus on her quest, Dorie takes matters into her own hands to become more of a worthy adversary to the evil Queen Aneleh. Defying dark odds, and with the help of her friends, Dorie take the next steps to fulfil the prophecy, and reunite a once peaceful and noble land..THE LAND OF IDOJ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9780359013821

Book preview

Dorie Daydream

In the Land of Idoj

Book Four:  Mysta

For my family,

Jodi, Tayner, Keslen and Dorie-Lynn:

As always, you are my whole world.

For my mom & dad,

Thank you for this adventure called life.

For Nazim J.,

You remain inspirational, even apart.

© 2018 Glenn P. Murdock 

All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-359-01382-1

Chapter 1

Awareness

The sound of a loud bang brought Dorie-Lynn Rothesay from a deep sleep into a light consciousness, and the accompanying smell triggered her brain into recalling a brief memory.  For a moment, she was sitting in the Gretan Wastelands, looking across the flames of a campfire at her friend, Oliver Ominousa.  His gaze moved from the flames to meet hers, and he smiled.  The memory made her happy for a second, and then despite her contentment, the truth kicked in.  He could not be there—he was dead.

Struggling with her inner self for a moment, the smell of smoke grew more intense and brought her back to reality.  Her eyes flew open and immediately started to sting.  She tried to see what was in front of her, but the smoke filling her newly opened eyes prevented it.  Then Dorie heard laughter.  It wasn’t sinister laughter as she often expected to occur when she was asleep—it was happy.  It reassured her, and the realization of where she was flooded back to her instantly.  She was in a small house, sitting in an uncomfortably hard chair, with her closest friends:  Nelsek, Renyat, Nyleve and Kram. 

As the smoke started to dissipate, Dorie looked around.  It was a basic dwelling really, and its simplicity had been one of the things that made her drift off.  It was that, and complete exhaustion.  Nelsek and Renyat had brought them here from the fields where they landed when they arrived suddenly in Mysta.  Both of them had immediately recognized the area and were clearly glad to be someplace familiar. 

It had taken them a day to travel to the dwelling, and Dorie was surprised to see that it was in the middle of nowhere.  Nelsek and Renyat told them that the place was actually theirs, but no one really used it.  It was ‘just a place they used to practice magic’ when they were younger.  It was simple and plain, and something Oliver would have liked.

Would have liked.  A feeling of complete sorrow overtook her, and Dorie felt herself start to go numb.  Trying to shake the feeling, she focused back on the people with her and the incident that startled her awake.

I certainly did not expect that! Renyat said, looking around at his friends. 

As they continued to laugh, Dorie pushed her brain to focus on the moment at hand.  She didn’t feel like laughing though.  The fleeting thought of Oliver dampened any joy she could feel right now.  It was too fresh—too real—to be lost in a moment of merriment.  Instead, she simply smiled and tried to concentrate on what was happening.

I’ll get it!  I know I will! Kram exclaimed, still holding a strange-looking cup in his hand.  The cup was burnt at the top, and smoke was pouring from it.  Clearly, what he had been trying hadn’t worked as he thought it would, and the desperation in his voice caused the rest of them to snicker more.

Kram, you are so adorable, Nyleve replied, and then caught herself when everyone stared at her.  What?  I can’t say he’s adorable? she countered, looking flushed.

It is just…weird, Nelsek said, looking away.  Totally okay—but…weird. They laughed again. 

Dorie could tell that Nelsek still wasn’t used to the fact that Nyleve wasn’t hung up on him anymore.  Still, he laughed off the awkward moment with the rest of them, and then cast his eyes over at Dorie.

She is awake! he said, and all eyes turned to look at her.  You have been out for quite a while.

Dorie stretched and tried to look interested in what they were doing.  Inside, her heart was still sad, longing to see Oliver again, but she knew she had to accept the feeling of loss and join the present.  So, what did I miss? she asked.

Not a lot, just some chat and then Kram decided to show us some magic he has been trying, Renyat replied, a slightly arrogant snigger accompanying the last part of his response.

Nyleve came to Kram’s aid immediately, defending his honour.  Well, not everyone was born into royalty and had proper training on this sort of thing, she drawled.

However, it was Nelsek who seemed to take offence to her retort, "We were not raised with magic, we only learned some of it as kids—more basic stuff.  Nothing too serious. Advanced magic was saved for the Oleran—the Mysta tribe’s primary guardians."

Wait, Dorie said, a thought striking her. When we first met, Nelsek, I thought you said that the only magic in Mysta was dark magic.

No, I said Queen Aneleh practiced dark magic, but there is both light and dark magic.  Good and evil, Nelsek replied.  In fact, I know very little magic.  At the time, I did not think it was enough to—

Renyat cut in, To impress her? he said, gleefully taking up the chance to mock his brother.  Nelsek’s cheeks flushed and his eyes moved away from Dorie’s gaze.

Dorie immediately felt bad for him.  What about the Oleran? Dorie asked, changing the subject as her mind truly started to wake up.

Renyat interrupted the exchange again, which caused Nelsek to become annoyed instead of abashed.  Dorie could see it on his face.  The Oleran are the heads of Mysta.  There are fifteen of them, and they jointly lead the Mysta tribe, teaching the members magic at their own discretion.  They are very powerful magicians.

Magicians? Dorie asked, almost laughing.

Why is that funny? Kram questioned, clearly thinking that Dorie’s amusement was misplaced.

Sorry, but where I come from, magicians pull rabbits out of hats, not lead a whole land! she replied, becoming more staid again.

Rabbits? Nyleve asked.

Dorie realized that the whole idea was foreign to them and tried to minimize her statement.  Forget it, I’ll explain another time.  Go on, she said to Renyat, eager to get the focus back off her.

Well, okay, Renyat continued.  The Oleran teach the residents of Mysta only select magic.  Just enough for them to protect the land.  They say it is because there are two sides to all magic, light and dark, but I believe it is because they do not want anyone else to gain power.

I am not sure that is necessarily true, Nelsek interjected.  The Oleran do pick those who show a gift of magical abilities to train to become their successors.  If they did not want others to gain power, they would not help train those chosen, would they?

I suppose, but that occurrence is rare.  A leader in the Oleran is in power for a very long time.

Before Nelsek could reply, Kram chimed in, Well, either way, the purpose of the Oleran is as clear as this table, he said, pointing to the small coffee table between them.  Guessing about it won’t help us.

Dorie glanced at the clear glass table and then back at Kram.  It was odd of him to blurt into one of Renyat and Nelsek’s tiffs like that, but she assumed it was because he had Nyleve supporting him unconditionally now.  He was her hero, and rightly so.  After what Kram had gone through in Sphera, he had proven himself an immensely brave and loyal friend. 

Dorie looked around at her friends again.  In fact, they were all lucky to have escaped alive, thanks to the stones and Queen Andromica.  Quickly reaching under her shirt, she felt the waist pouch now containing three stones.  She knew she couldn’t keep them there much longer.  They were too easy for someone to get to.

Are you okay, Dorie? Nelsek asked with serious concern.  It has been a few days since we got here, and you keep drifting off.

Dorie was hoping no one would have noticed that.  Since she had arrived in Mysta, she was going to bed early, sleeping late and nodding off during the day, but despite that, she never really got a good rest.  Deep down, she wanted to be unconscious most of the time. She hoped for two things:  first, it would help her deal with the heartache of losing Oliver, simply by blocking it out while she slept; and second, it would increase her chances of seeing him or Queen Andromica, since that was when they usually came to her.  Unfortunately, neither one had happened so far. 

She knew Oliver had passed.  She’d been there both physically and mentally.  It was the hardest thing she had ever been through.  But still, she kept reaching out for him in her sleep, trying in vain to make a connection that was no longer there.

Dorie nodded her head in response to Nelsek’s question.  I’ll be okay, she said.

The room grew quiet.  All eyes were on her. She scanned the room with her eyes and repeated, I’ll be okay.  Really.

As if taking the cue, her friends all looked away but didn’t say a word.  If Dorie hadn’t felt so downhearted, she might have even found it humorous. She decided to break the additional silence, So, what’s the plan?

In his best know-it-all voice, Renyat replied, That is what we were waiting to hear from you, my lady.  He looked at her with a gaze that was somewhere between adoration and pride.  It made Dorie’s insides flutter a bit, which confused her even more.

All eyes fell back on Dorie.  This time, Nyleve jumped in to save her.  Well, that’s easy!  We’re here to get the Mysta Stone.  Why else would Queen Andromica have sent us here?

Kram spoke up, We know the Divination, which is what she said before she sent us here: ‘Remember the Divination.’  So, we need to concentrate on that.

I am afraid it will not be easy, Nelsek replied.  We must be wanted now more than ever by both Queen Aneleh and the commander.

The commander? Nyleve asked disbelievingly.  I thought he was dead!

All eyes focused on Nyleve this time as if she knew something they didn’t.

I mean, with the beating Dorie gave him, and how badly he failed Queen Aneleh, I was sure the queen would make him pay the ultimate price after we vanished.

Kram swung his head around to look at Dorie.  "That was quite the beating, he bemused.  I didn’t know you had it in you."

Nyleve put her arms around Kram.  We were all pretty amazing, she said, winking at him.  Kram blushed.

Nelsek shifted in his spot and refocused the conversation.  "Yes, we were, but we have bigger things to think about than how we narrowly escaped death at the hands of Queen Aneleh.  From what I have heard since we arrived here, things are changing quickly in Idoj, and the commander has taken both an open kill stance on Dissident behavior and a ‘stop at nothing’ mentality to find Dorie."

What do you mean? Dorie asked, concerned but thankful to get the conversation going in another direction.

I ventured into the heart of Mysta late last night to see what I could find out.  From what I have overheard, Sphera has erupted into displays of violence.  Word of Queen Andromica’s appearance has also spread to the other tribes. Many Dissidents are being killed because they are randomly acting out to try to overthrow the queen.

You mean like when we left Juna? Nyleve asked.

Yes, Nelsek responded. But far worse than when we left Juna.

How? Kram asked.