Broken Arrow
Azaria M.J. Durant
(Darkened Destiny Saga #1)
Publication date: July 29th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
An ancient power long kept dormant stirs in the shadows once more as one boy embarks on a quest to earn his freedom and the freedom of his world!Magic has turned to myth, the Vaelhyreans of old to legend, and the power wielded by the ancients has long been forgotten. However, with Ealdred, a mere half-breed slave boy, myth becomes real, the forgotten remembered, and the power of legend is reborn within him.Ealdred is merged into a world of mystery, brimming with deceit, where the remaining Vaelhyreans are in a desperate fight for their very survival. When Ealdred is kidnapped by the power-mongering dark lord Zeldek himself, he must make a choice; to commit his newfound magic to Zeldek’s service or die. But when he meets Bellator, clever yet treacherous servant of Zeldek, an alternative is presented to him: to escape from Zeldek’s stronghold and embark on a quest to find a cursed arrow and free the Vaelhyreans from the spell that keeps their powers at bay.Yet how can he survive in a world where magic is illegal, half-breeds are hated, and the four countries are on the brink of war?
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“That time is already upon us,” the Master stated, rising to his feet. “Many nights now, my gaze has been turned to the stars. The constellations Heroi and Retsu are aligning for the first time in two and a half millennia. Prophecies connote these coming years as the last of mankind. This is the opportunity I have been waiting for. I must not fail!”
His eyes glowed with the passion his words expressed, and murmurs of agreement echoed through the room.
“Our toils have been rewarding and our preparation has been long,” the Master went on. “Yet we must not deceive ourselves into thinking that our position is secure.”
The murmurs fell to silence. The Master had never spoken so freely of such things before. The most this council had ever discussed were the brief updates concerning the progress of each respective country and its assets. There was the occasional new order from The Master, but such a thing was rare, and was always followed by a long, tedious discussion concerning the politics of the task, and thus was never interesting.
“It has been predicted that there is one who has the potential to stand in my way; one who may have the power to end my supreme rule before it has begun.”
“My lord, who could possess the power to rival you?” Valamette asked, bewildered.
The Master lifted his gaze to glare at Valamette from beneath the shadow of his hood. “You of all people should know.”
Understanding dawned on Valamette. He nodded slowly. Bellator glimpsed the other figures, looking to find a shred of understanding among them. But they too turned to look at Valamette, hoping to glean what they could from his bearing.
“The boy, my lord?” he asked.
“Yes,” the Master replied. “The boy.”
Bellator was intrigued. When had a boy ever entered their conversation?
“But my lord, how could he be a problem? Didn’t we do away with him as an infant? How is it possible that he still draws breath?”
“Does it matter how?” the Master snapped. “What matters is that he lives and that he will pose a threat if we aren’t careful to hone his abilities to our favour.”
“I can do it.” Valamette took a breath. “I can kill him, if you wish it. I will not fail you.”
“No!” The Master’s fist slammed on the altar. “If I wanted him dead, I would have let him die! I wouldn’t have kept him safe all this time.”
Ealdred is a half-breed, the hated mix of the people of Lavylli, who live in the heart of the earth, and the people who live under the sun. He has been a slave since birth, tossed from master to master throughout his childhood. In spite of being put down and abused his entire life, he still fights to be worth something, even though he believes deep down that he is worth nothing. He learned to fight through the anger and pain caused by the constant abuse he was shown, and instead looks for the good in others. Even so, he never really trusts anyone.
He doesn’t see himself as brave, but if he sees someone who is wronged or hurt, he can be quite dangerous in defense of them. Sarcasm comes naturally to him, but he keeps it to himself unless he’s especially annoyed. His biggest dream is to one day find the family that he imagines he was taken from as a child and to live happily ever after with them.
Age: 15
Race: Half-breed
Height: 4’ 8”
Appearance: Black curly hair, unnaturally blue eyes, pale skin. Thin eyebrows, slightly pointed nose. Thin, hollow face. Very thin and small build.
Personality: Sweet, gentle, can be fierce under pressure. Intelligent, but doesn’t know much about the world other than how to survive the cruelty of others.
Weapons: Dagger, sword, magic
Magic Type: Unknown
Quotes:
“My respect must be earned before it is given.” — Ealdred to Zeldek
“Well, what do you think?”
For a moment, I think that she is talking about herself and I am grasping for something to say when I realize that she’d gestured to everything in general.
“Oh!” I stammer, glancing around. “Right! Yeah. It’s nice. Has a lot of interesting detail. And fire. Who would have thought to use a mountain range as a wall?”
She grimaces in irritation. “I was talking about Fyra.”
I try to speak clearly, but my tongue won’t let me. “Oh- oh, right. Her. She’s great too. Flying is amazing!”
— exchange between Ealdred and Bellator after their flight on her dragon
“She told me to jump off the tower and I did it,” I say blandly. “I’m pretty sure I knew what I was getting myself into.” — Ealdred to Zeldek
Concept Art drawn by Author
Bellator is a skilled warrior and assassin in the employ of the sorcerer Zeldek, who she serves as general of his elite guard. She enjoys fighting, terrorizing her master’s servants, and flying with her great black dragon, Fyra. Bellator takes pride in being undefeated, as no one has ever bested her in combat for many years.
In spite of her scorn of courage, Bellator is courageous, bold, and intelligent. She is always two steps ahead, and quickly comes up with a clever plan for any problem that comes her way. Trust is not something she gives easily, and loyalty even less. She is not good with friendships. Most often, she seeks to benefit herself, though overall she has a keen sense of right and wrong and tries to keep to her set moral code. She has a soft spot for half-breeds, as one saved her from getting her hand cut off for theft when she was young. Emotions are foreign to her.
Bellator values cleverness, intelligence, and honor above all, though she herself struggles with the latter.
Age: Unknown
Race: Human
Height: 5’ 2”
Appearance: Dark brown wavy hair which she always wears in a tight braid around her head. Ocean blue eyes. Light tan skin, cut scars all over face. Thick brows.
Personality: Vicious. Takes shit from no one. If you try to control her, she will plot your swift demise.
Weapons: Sword, daggers, bow and arrows.
Quotes:
“Your head would be at the end of my sword if my master elected to give the order.” – Bellator to ‘Zandelba’
“Lord Zeldek does not tolerate disrespect, and neither do I. You will learn your place here, or you will have me to answer to. And I promise, I won’t have as gentle a touch with you as the Master has had thus far.” – Bellator to Ealdred
“If courage is a sufficient substitute for foolishness. I’ve always seen them as synonymous.” – Bellator to Zeldek
“I am no mere child, you insolent swine! I am Bellator, known as the Crimson Shadow. I demand to know who you are and what your purpose is with this town!” – Bellator to a crowd of ruffians
Concept Art drawn by Author
Azaria M. J. Durant is a young, passionate writer of fantasy with plans to branch out into sci-fi and dystopian. She enjoys writing stories with action, adventure, unexpected plot twists, and fleshed out characters that challenge gender roles and expectations.
Azaria lives in Atlantic Canada with her family, cats, and dogs, and her big dreams to travel the world. In the moments when she isn’t writing, she is sketching concept art for her stories, participating in community theatre, or curled up with a good book and a bag of mint chocolates.
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