The Eight Lands of Pharr are in trouble, and the only ones who can help are a young princess and the sister she believes lost. They hold two of the four Magical Stones, created long ago by an Ancient Mystic to channel the magic of his bloodline. But when an evil witch named Patadora Coggs seeks to control the Stones, the two girls must join forces to save their unsuspecting world. With them is a motley crew gathered as they travel to retrieve the remaining two Stones. Airk Ranon, cynical Weapons Master. The Baret Wray and First Commander Dungan Weir, who command King Randel's army. Elke, a centurion who has never been away from home. Skotak, an Emini Plainsman who provides steeds for the travelers. Dreux, a young prince seeking adventure, and his lover, Estelle. And Kitt, a young orphan held enslaved by pirates. Chased by Patadora's Maelnords and her own shapeshifting daughter, and by the infamous Weapons Master's outlaw reputation, the young friends travel land and sea in their quest to find the last two Stones. Once they have the Magical Stones of Pharr in their possession, they must travel to the witch's lair and end her evil reign of terror.

The Magical Stones of Pharr

He said, “Never mind. I’ll be your teacher now. First, a lesson in the Parcaen faith. The people of Pharr, myself included, have long believed in the Parcae, or the Three Fates. Collectively they control destiny, hence their names. First, you must be able to see life as a length of string.” To demonstrate his point, Skotak pulled a leather thong from the pouch around his waist and stretched it between his hands. “This is a life. It has a beginning and an end. Can you conceive that?”


“Sometimes the string becomes a little frayed, but we all have our tough times. Now, if the string is life, imagine a huge ball of yarn. What would that symbolize?”


She thought for a moment. “Everyone?”


“Exactly! All life is wound within a ball of thread, and as people are born, their thread is drawn out. When they die, their thread is cut. Do you follow?”


Chapter 36