The Witch, the Crystal Ball and the Barbarian
A story woven in mist and magic
The mists of Avonia moved across the swamplands, and the forests and gradually slithered over the small towns and villages. It was on a mission to enter the halls, over the walls, through every room, until it reached the chamber of Queen Deritay. The young queen slept and the mist engulfed her in its warm embrace. The queen awoke and struggled to free herself, but it was impossible to break out from the slithering shroud of the dark magical mist.
A girl child was born to the King and Queen of Avonia. The kingdom and its people celebrated the birth of the child. A year later the country was invaded by the warrior clan of Huntaran and the old king and his young bride were killed. Their daughter Shoniya, was adopted by Kuvaran the Minister of the Mystical Arts. Kuvaran and his wife Ghutaray, had no child, so she was welcomed into their family.
The young girl Shoniya, displayed magical talents, like the time when she lifted a dead bird from the ground, blew on its wings and brought the lifeless creature to life. As a teenager, the young girl’s power grew by leaps and bounds, when she acquired a crystal ball, which her father gave her from the crystal mines on the planet of Khemerin.
The barbarians of Khemerin, were fierce people and the warriors of Huntaran only managed to defeat them, by the use of more advanced weapons and warfare tactics. The young men and the young women were now slaves on their planet and were forced to mine for crystals for the Huntaran. Crystals were a form of currency in Avonia.
Kuvaran, the minister of the mystical arts, used the crystals for their magical powers. He had also started training his adopted daughter Shoniya, as his apprentice. The girl had mystical skills, yet she was always fighting the forces of darkness within her. Almost every night she woke up with nightmares and said that she was repelling the dark forces. Kuvaran had big dreams of becoming the leader of the Huntaran. He was not a warrior but he could use the dark powers of the mystical arts to have his victory.
The first day, that the seventeen-year-old Shoniya was gifted the crystal ball, she saw her first vision of a young, tall, muscular barbarian. He seemed to have the bearing of the barbarians of Khemerin. He was a good fighter and he was a slave. He had the skill and cunning of a warrior. Every day she gazed at him as she looked into her crystal ball. There was something special about him.
The young teenager Shoniya, was told about her parents who were killed by the Huntaran. She knew that she had a purpose in life. Shoniya was told that the people called her a witch. She did not mind, as she loved having her powers and they were getting stronger. The young barbarian was going to meet her one day and it would be soon. That would be the day when she would leave her evil foster father Kuvaran. He turned evil after his gentle wife died and no amount of chanting could bring her back to life.
Would the crystal ball bring the young barbarian Lortank to Shoniya and would they succeed in escaping the wrath of her foster father Kuvaran? The young barbarian was ready to escape his planet of Khemerin, where his people were enslaved. His one mission was to defeat the warriors of Huntaran who ruled them He needed an army and a lot of help. Perhaps, he could form an alliance with someone powerful.
The story would unfold, in the tales and myths told by the storytellers of Khemerin and Huntaran, about the victories, challenges, defeats, and battles with the supernatural that the young lovers Lortank and Shoniya, the witch and the barbarian would face as their journey continued. This is indeed a story woven in mist and magic.
