The Great Kingdoms: And the Soul of Forbidden Magic

By J.A. Werth

~THE FIRST BOOK OF A NEW AND ENCHANTING SERIES~

King Edward and Queen Maria always wanted to have a family, but they could not conceive normally. With the help of a wizard and a forbidden spell, Princess Hayden was born. One look at their baby and they knew they finally had the child they had dreamed of

However, not everything happened according to plan. Her father and mother knew there would be consequences, but there are some things you just cant expect. They were able to hide most of Haydens problems by keeping her away from people and secluding her to the castle.

As time passed, Hayden had grown into a young lady searching for her place in the world. But after being confined to the castle for most of her childhood, Hayden grew tired of not having any friends. She started sneaking outside of the kingdom and dreamed of what was beyond its walls. One foggy night she meets two new friends, Collin and Edwin. The only problem is that they were the princes from the other two kingdoms that her father was feuding with.

Finally Haydens 16th birthday is just around the corner as she starts to fall in love with one of the princes. However, everything is about to change for Hayden. What will her beloved think when she finally decides to tell him about her magical past? Will he still love her?

With the help of her new friends, Hayden decides to take matters into her own hands to find the wizard. But in the world of magic, anything can happen. Dangers lay around every corner, and a battle wages against dark magic to save the kids and their kingdoms. Can these three kingdoms overcome their past to save the ones they love?
For in the world of magic & The Great Kingdoms, anything can happen!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 21, 2009
• ISBN: 9781465331175

J.A. Werth

Josh A. Werth was born in Wichita, Kansas. He graduated from Campus High School. Josh has 3 brothers and 1 sister. He married his wife in April of 2006, and they have 2 children together. He started writing short stories when he was young. Josh continued to explore idea after idea for each of his books, but it wasn’t until he was 25 when he came up with the idea for The Great Kingdoms series.

Book preview

Copyright © 2009 by J.A. Werth.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without

permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

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Contents

Chapter 1

Dream

Chapter 2

The Fall

Chapter 3

Forbidden Magic

Chapter 4

Hayden

Chapter 5

A Fairy-Tale Truth

Chapter 6

A Midnight Runaway

Chapter 7

Uniting the Kings

Chapter 8

Unity Ball

Chapter 9

Disuniting the Unity

Chapter 10

The Lost Dream

Chapter 11

A Magical Runaway

Chapter 12

The Adventure Begins

Chapter 13

The Dead Lands’ Forest

Chapter 14

The Old Man

Chapter 15

To the Magic Lands

Chapter 16

The Tale of Orren

Chapter 17

Out to Get You

Chapter 18

Dark Kingdom

Chapter 19

The Inevitable

Chapter 20

For the Honor

Chapter 21

War and Unity

Chapter 22

The Sunrise

This Book Is For My Wife Tiffany,

And My Two Wonderful Boys, Carson And Caleb.

"There are those who look at things the way they are,

and ask why . . . I dream of things that never were,

and ask why not?"

—Robert Kennedy

Faith is believing in more than just yourself!

—Unknown

The Great Kingdoms

And The Soul Of Forbidden Magic

One night I had a dream. A dream of both Hayden and I standing there on the edge of a cliff, and she asked me for help. Hayden said she and her friends had a story to tell me. A story about her life, she told me she had been under a spell. When I woke up from my dream the next morning I put my pen to the paper, and the story just came flooding out! And my first book, The Great Kingdoms and the Soul of Forbidden Magic was born.

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Chapter 1

Dream

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In a time of kings and queens, witches and wizards, in a time where magic and nonmagical beings lived together on the edge of peace, there stood a kingdom. This was at one time a beautiful land with hills and tall green grass, and in the middle stood a great tall castle, with villages all around. Together they were known as the Great Kingdom. This kingdom and much of its country was in turmoil. The king would stand on his balcony and address his kingdom while hundreds of thousands of people would look up to him. Although his people could hardly see or hear him, they felt empowered just to be there in his presence.

We are more powerful than any who shall threaten us. And let them try, for we shall destroy them! the king yelled over the crowd but was quickly drowned out by the cheering crowd in what becomes a roar like thunder.

As the king was becoming more arrogant, so were his people. And as arrogant as people could be, they lost touch with those who care for them. For the king, it was his daughter, Lindsay. Lindsay looked very much like her mother who had long since passed away. Her hair was long and dark, like her eyes; she had a flat face, with a small button nose. She was the sweetest girl, unlike her father. She would bounce into the hall every morning for breakfast and would quickly be ignored by everyone, almost everyone, that is. Orren was the only wizard of the kingdom, and he was one of the last few members of the kingdom to see the royalty as it was, corrupt and cruel. He was a strong man who looked around the age of thirty although, as a wizard, he was much older than that. Orren’s face, as well as his body, was narrow although not very tall. His hair was the color of salt-and-pepper, short, thin, and very messy. And he always carried a wavy dark brown wand in his robe that he would never forget to wear each day. The wizard would join Lindsay at the breakfast table each morning, right at the same time her father left the table.

My dear Lindsay, I had visited the Kingdom of Milon just the other day, and can you guess what they are doing this weekend?

Oh, what is it? Do tell me! Lindsay said in an excited voice but, at the same time, stuffed her mouth full of eggs.

Well, the king is bringing the games back to his kingdom.

Lindsay knew what he was going to say. In the last few years, she had been to that kingdom at least a dozen times. As a matter of fact, that was the only reason she had ever been to the kingdom.

So has my father said I could go? Lindsay said as she finished up very excitedly.

I thought you might ask him to take you this time. Orren looked right into her eyes to keep her from arguing with him.

Lindsay looked at Orren with disappointment. Oh. Lindsay stood, and she gave him a fake smile. Yes, well . . . I . . . I’m sure he will say yes. And with another fake smile, she turned and walked away.

A servant walked up to the table and took Lindsay’s plate from the table. Orren leaned back in his chair. Would you take mine too? Orren asked, picking up his half-full glass of wine so the servant would not take it.

Yes, sir. The servant took his plate as well and left the room.

Orren stood and walked over to the fireplace in the corner of the room. I pray the king will embrace his daughter as the dreams I have are terrible, and I pray that they may not come true. He poured the last of his wine in the fire and left the room.

Later that day, Lindsay returned to the castle after doing a lot of thinking about her father. She walked up to the big doors that led into his royal chamber. She stopped for a moment, continuing to feel a great weight on her chest. She stared down the door as if it will open on its own. With a push, the door slowly creaked open. Her father was discussing politics with the commander of his army. Commander Hindle was very tall, middle-aged, with scars on his face, and his eyes seemed to sink into his head, and it made him look scary and mysterious. The commander looked especially scary with the staff he always carried around. This staff was long with a skeleton head at the end. She decided to continue up to them. The walk to him seemed to be endless, for this was a big room, and his throne was at the other end.

Father, may I talk to you? Lindsay asked with a shake in her voice.

The king continued to ignore her as he did when she entered.

Father . . . ? Lindsay asked with a bit louder voice than before.

What is it, Lindsay? he yelled as loud as he could.

Well, I . . . She paused for a moment, feeling very lost in her words. I was talking to Orren just this morning, and he had heard the Kingdom of Milon was having the games again and . . . She quickly walked up to his side and grabbed his hand. Oh, Father, I would love to go with you!

Lindsay, can’t you see I’m a busy man? If Orren is just so interested in these games, let him take you.

The commander cut in. Yes, what a great idea.

With another fake smile, her father gave a nod to the commander. Yes . . . Father. With this, she walked back up to the slightly opened doors and looked back to him with tears. She knew all hope for love from him was lost, but he did not notice even after he looked up to her to wave her on. She left pulling the door shut behind her.

Orren decided to take Lindsay to the games anyway as he always did. Orren’s friends—Gorrott and his wife, Miranda—traveled along with him and Lindsay to the Kingdom of Milon for the games. The days passed as everyone enjoyed the gladiators’ fights and the chariot races, although Lindsay’s favorite event was the horse races.

A few days had gone by as they all returned. The kingdom seemed to be on the edge of even more anger and despair. The king greeted Orren as they entered the castle doors, but with the exception of a small glare, he ignored his daughter and asked Orren to join him in the royal chamber.

King Tempus, and Orren entered the chamber as the king quickly turned to Orren. "I need your help, Orren, there is someone after my throne. My commander has heard rumors. They say I’m not fit to rule! Me, a king for thirty-three years,

NOT FIT TO BE KING

?"

Please, my king, stay calm. He took the robe off to which he seemed to always have on and walked to the throne. Whom had he heard this from?

He heard it from a large number of my men. What should I do, sentence them all? I didn’t know who to trust, so I had everyone removed from the castle. He turned to Orren and almost begged for an answer. You must tell me. You are one of the greatest wizards in these parts. You see answers in your globe. You will know how to stop this betrayal! The king was starting to sweat.

My king, I have seen many dreams in my globe, but not of this. This is most certainly peculiar, Orren replied as he looked off, thinking deeply.

But you had seen the Coi army before they tried to invade our Great Kingdom. You had foreseen wars before they had begun, things that we would not have known. You must tell me what is to come! He grabbed Orren very harshly.

But Orren pulled from the king quickly. King Tempus, let me spend the night looking into the globe of dreams. I shall let you know what I see in the morning. Until then, please pull yourself together.

The king seemed to straighten himself up and corrected his posture. Very well, I should get some sleep then. Orren nodded in agreement.

Orren walked down the hall. He entered his cold, dark, and musty room. He lifted a wand from his robe and pointed to the fireplace, and a split second later, the fire lit up. He walked to the mantle and picked up a big marble-and-crystal object. This globe of dreams appeared to be a marble globe surrounded by crystal flames. He laid it on a table in the middle of the room, and he placed his hands over it. My dreams of this earth, bestow upon me the great plans of the kingdom. With his eyes closed, he started to concentrate so hard his eyelids seemed to twitch a bit. But nothing happened. He looked at the globe once again. There is something, I can feel it. Something or someone is blocking my dreams. His eyes closed once again as he concentrated even harder, chanting his spell upon the globe but in a language from which had long since died off. Onna devin ogota, destevidate tri on dota myna kingdom! This time, the spell seemed to have worked. The crystal flames turned into real fire, turning the marble into crystal. The fire in the corner started to go out as if being drained by the globe’s fire, and the room had grown dark and eerie. The globe filled with disturbing images of a pair of eyes, a flash of light, and the princess falling to the ground. "

NO

!" Orren jumped back in his chair, breaking the spell. Just then, the door creaked open behind him. The globe turned back to marble and the fire backed into crystal, and the fireplace quickly refilled the room with light.

Orren? Princess Lindsay walked in, wearing a white nightgown with light blue trim.

My dear, I thought you had gone to bed?

I waited up. I had to talk to you before I had gone to sleep.

What is it? Orren tossed his robe over the glass ball so there may not be any questions.

I just wanted to say thank you. She smiled ever so wonderfully with these words. You have always been like a father to me . . . I wish you were my father.

Don’t say that, you don’t mean it! Orren said, although he felt the same way.

Yes, I do! You have always been there for me. Orren, you’ve taken me everywhere and helped me with everything. When I’ve had problems, you’ve always been there.

Orren smiled. I thank you for that. And I will continue to be there for you and to protect you for all of time. He reached out to her and kissed her hand. Now off to bed.

She gave him another smile and left the room. He turned back to the orb, feeling horrified at what he had seen. Orren left his robe tossed over the orb as he walked to his bed. He lay down staring at the ceiling. No doubt wondering if he truly had seen what was just in front of him.

As the princess was on her way back to her room, she had heard her father with someone down the hall and around the corner. She did not want to be caught out this late, for he had strict rules on this, so she quickly went into the closest room she was next to, the library. It was a grand library, fit for the Great Kingdom. This library was big with tall ceilings. It had tall thin windows with dark tapestries that covered one wall with a wonderful view of the kingdom. A grand fireplace made out of marble and thick redwood on the middle of the wall was still lit. And there were hundreds of books all around the other walls with leather chairs by the fireplace. She curled up in one of the chairs closest to the fire. There she lay, falling asleep, and the warmth of the fire more comfortable than the covers of her very own bed. She pulled her nightgown over her bare feet, and in a matter of minutes, she was fast asleep.

Chapter 2

The Fall

"

WHAT IS THIS?

" a voice said behind Lindsay as she lay asleep.

Lindsay had quickly woken up. She heard voices at the end of the library.

What do you mean, sir? another voice replied.

She looked over the chair very slowly. The commander was standing at the entrance of the library, pulling the doors shut, with another soldier beside him. The soldier glanced around the library but did not seem to see her.

Myself and two others no longer wish to participate in your plan, Commander, the soldier stated nervously.

"Do you and your pitiful friends not understand what I’m trying to do? If we kill the king, we will be in charge. We have done all the fighting for this man. We are the ones that make this kingdom great," the commander said.

We just choose not to follow these plans. Killing is not the answer perhaps if we discuss our issues with him, the soldier replied with a shaken voice.

"We will discuss nothing! The attack

WILL

happen!" Commander Hindle demanded as he turned to the soldier and almost touched nose to nose.

Then do with us what you may, the soldier replied as he bowed his head.

Lindsay, who was frightened beyond belief, felt as if she should scream but managed to keep quiet. The commander slowly walked over to the fireplace and stood next to the chair but still did not see Lindsay.

Very well then, leave this kingdom. It is almost sunrise, be gone before it does, or I shall have your heads as well, Commander Hindle said as he turned from the soldier to watch the fire.

Yes, sir. He turned and closed the door behind him, leaving the commander looking into the fire and Lindsay only a few feet from him, scared out of her mind.

There was only one thing she could do, sneak out of there as quietly as possible. She slowly slid out of the chair and wrapped herself around the corner to the side.

"

FULMINATE

!" yelled the commander.

A small explosion blew the ashes from the fire all around the library. She didn’t know how he had done it nor did she care; she just wanted out of there. She had decided to make a run for it, if only she could make it to Orren’s room.

Lindsay said to herself in a very small whisper. Okay, here I go. She took one deep breath and ran straight for the door. At first, the commander did not hear her over his own thoughts, but as she pulled the door open, the crackling of the