The Magic Crystal
Book One
The Dream Merchant Saga
Written by
L.T. Suzuki
in collaboration with
Nia Suzuki-White
Be careful what you wish for takes on a whole new meaning...
When a good wish goes bad, a beautiful princess despised by all, a lowly court jester who was meant to be a great knight and a village idiot with a mysterious past are thrust together by fate. Made to embark on a perilous and unorthodox quest, they set off to break a dreaded curse.
Along the way, a series of trials await them in strange lands far from home. From a powerful Wizard and an evil, shape-shifting Sprite to the flamboyant Elves and an army of mimes, they encounter an array of unforgettable friends and foes as they set off to recover a silver locket to destroy the curse.
In a race against time, pursued by a Sorcerer on the hunt for this same locket, an epic journey becomes a trying, humorous adventure of self-discovery and a test of true loyalty and friendship for this unlikely trio as they fight to survive this quest and ultimately, each other.
COPYRIGHT
The Magic Crystal
© Copyright 2010 L. T. Suzuki.
All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this ebook publication may be copied, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise, without the written prior consent of the author.
Registered with the WGAw (Writers Guild of America, West)
Book Cover, graphic design and layout:
Scott White
Shinobi Creative Productions
www.shinobicreativeproductions.com
Prologue
A hero, a villain, a curse and a quest: all the elements of a classic fairytale, right?
To be perfectly honest, this story is not your typical, run-of-the-mill fairytale. Most begin with ‘once upon a time in a land far, far away…’ and usually ends with ‘and they lived happily ever after’, but if you dare read on, you will soon discover this neither begins nor necessarily ends in this manner.
Now, in this mystical world lives the most unusual assortment of Elves, Wizards, dragons and other strange and magical creatures, but this particular story revolves around one beautiful, young princess. And just like this tale, she is far from typical. Unfortunately for her, this adventure, or misadventure, depending upon your point of view, all begins at her royal residence of Pepperton Palace.
Like a magnificent jewel crowning a great hill overlooking this peaceful, bucolic kingdom, the palace rises above the tallest trees and certainly overshadows all other man-made structures. However, if you peer behind the imposing walls, glance beyond the grand gardens of meticulously pruned boxwood hedges to look within these stately halls and palatial chambers of the castle keep, a seemingly perfect existence belies a less-than-perfect life.
And as this is a tale about imperfect people living imperfect lives, dreaming of greater things that might make them perfect one day, let us begin this saga with Rose-alyn Beatrice Elizabeth Wilhemina Pepperton, or more simply, Princess Rose.