Prince Khael Stratton returns from a mission for the King to find the small northern state he rules in a condition of unrest. Now he must regain his signet ring from the lovely young street urchin who stole it and return home to restore peace and justice to his homeland before destruction ensues.
In the process and along with Khael's best friend, the three travelers learn more about each other and themselves, find friendship and powerful alliances, face challenging adversaries and monsters, and learn to work together even at high risk of life and limb.
M. A. Richter - Firebird Book Award Winner - Best Epic and
Best New Fiction First-Published Awards!
Chapter 1: Cambridge
"True enlightenment arises from self-mastery; thus, kinshuh (temperance) is the primary discipline of the Saiensu." ~ Foundations of the Mystic Order
Khael squinted impatiently toward the head of the
motionless gate queue. His hopes for some relief after his
strenuous journey so far, perhaps an extended break from the string
of assassination attempts, dimmed. In all his travels, only once
before had he needed to wait to enter Cambridge. His steed,
Molniya, shifted under him, hoofing his own vexation on the stone
roadway.
The guards at the gate needed nothing more than to
inspect incoming travelers visually for signs of suspicious
activity. They might converse with familiar travelers, but the
process should be simple and reasonably quick. Suspects could be
escorted behind the guard shack for more detailed searches.
Unable to see any obvious cause for the delay,
Khael closed his eyes to scan the life energies in the area. No
danger showed amongst the travelers on the road. He shifted his
focus to the front of the queue. One of the City Patrol rangers at
the gate blatantly groped a peasant woman, right beside her
husband, while another ranger held out his hand for—a
bribe?
Outraged, Khael stiffened out of his relaxed
bearing. Had those guards no sense of decency? These people might
be commoners, but even peasants deserved more respectful treatment.
He prodded Molniya's flanks with his heels.
The great gongyangma snorted as he walked around
Grant's gongey, Phantom, to pass the line of merchants, tradesmen
and herders.
"We're jumping the queue?" Heidi's strawberry
blonde head poked up from the other side of Phantom.
Khael looked at her. At his change in posture,
Molniya stopped beside their two friends. Next to Molniya and
Phantom, Heidi's charger resembled a large pony.
Khael strained to keep his fury quiet. "The Patrols
extort fees from these travelers and grope the women going
in."
"They never learn." Grant's cavernous bass rumble carried only a short distance.
I love the story and can't wait for a sequel: I had originally planned to read just a chapter at a time, but I couldn't put Mystic Prince down. The author drew me into the story, as the characters became more complex and their journey more interesting. The story combines unique mystical abilities and imagery along a road of discovery as the characters build on their friendship and share some fun and dangerous adventures. There are surprises and plot twists along the way, and the ending begs for a sequel. You won't be disappointed. - Kathleen, on Amazon, *****
Don't let the cover art fool you.
Thievery and beauty, humor and peril, love and betrayal, cutting through the fog of illusion...The Mystic Prince is an engaging quest-adventure with unique and likeable characters in a futuristic setting that feels oddly familiar in a dreamscape kind of way. The prince and his inner arsenal are intriguing and magnetic and kept me turning the page to see what would happen next. Looking forward to the sequel!
Leanne Lieu's Mystic Prince
Online Review
Engaging
read: I
enjoyed this book. The characters are well drawn and and
believable. It was fun to read and a lovely
escape. -
Stephanie Harnack, on Amazon *****
Not as dark as GOT with more heroes and great imaginative but
believable world building and storyline. Harkens back to Camelot
mythology but with cooler, more current dialogue and attitudes
including female knight warriors . Pick it
up! -
Mustafa and Jennifer Nasheed