Epic Fantasy Book Series With Elemental Magic
Elemental Worlds by V.M. Sang
Series Excerpt
Two days later, at ten o’ clock in the evening, Lucenra knocked at Pettic’s door. The young man was ready, dressed in leather armour for lightness, with his sword at his side and backpack on his back. He had tied his bow to his backpack along with his arrows. His eyes opened wide to see Lucenra standing there in a pair of her brother’s trousers and a shirt.
‘You aren’t planning on coming after all, are you?’ demanded Pettic.
‘No, but I'm coming to the standing stones with you. I think you should go and get Cledo. He’ll help to protect you and give you some companionship too. You'll be all alone there.’
‘Good idea, Luce,’ replied the young man. ‘We’ve time to go and get him now and still get to the stones in time. Thank you for coming with me.’
The pair crept out of the palace and along the road to where the stable boy who was looking after Cledo lived. Pettic knocked on the door and a loud barking came from inside. The door opened a crack and the boy’s father peeped round. A grey flash knocked him unceremoniously aside as Cledo came bounding out to greet Pettic. The young man was nearly felled by the exuberance of his dog.
‘Steady, boy,’ Pettic told the animal, ‘Get down please.’ This last as the dog placed his paws on his master’s shoulders and began to lick his face. Then he turned to the family standing looking on in awe at the Crown Prince’s friend and his sister who were in their cottage.
‘Thank you so much for looking after Cledo for me,’ he said. ‘I'm going away for a little while. I’m not sure how long I'll be so I’m taking Cledo with me. Here's something for your trouble and the expense you incurred in looking after him.’
He handed over a pouch of gold coins—much more than it would have cost them for the dog's keep.
At first the stable boy’s father refused, saying it was a pleasure, and what a good dog he was, but Pettic insisted. He, Lucenra and Cledo then went on their way, leaving the family wondering if they were witnesses to an elopement.
It took a while for the three to pass through the town and up onto the little hill where the standing stones were situated. The stones had been there for centuries and no one knew what their original purpose had been. Many rumours grew up around them over the intervening years, though, and many believed them to be haunted.
Pettic now remembered hearing a rumour a long time ago that they were a gateway to other lands. He smiled to himself remembering how he had dismissed that idea as the most preposterous of all of them. How wrong he had been.
Eventually they reached the top of the hill. It was a clear night and the moon threw its dim light across the land. As it climbed higher, the light came nearer and nearer to the arch and Pettic became more nervous, as did Lucenra.
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