Image courtesy of Megan Aufrecht
Nine-year-old Arrika longs to escape from the confines of slavery at the hands of her ruthless master Count Dunsten. She dreams of buying her freedom and rebels against the “dumb slave” notion by teaching herself to read and selling woven goods at the village market. Arrika is also troubled by inexplicable memory loss. She does not remember the first five years of her life. In fact, she can’t recall her parents’ names or faces, where she once lived, or the date of her birth.
One day, Arrika’s life changes forever. Without knowing how or why it happened, she performs magic for the first time. She also can’t explain the recurring dreams (or nightmares?) she has about being chased by her master’s guard dogs and watching a bloody duel. But, when Arrika learns of a plot to murder D’nharro’s governor, she learns just how valuable her dreams and her new magical abilities can be.
“Light in the Barrenlands” takes place long ago in D’nharro, a small desert village in the Great Continent, a land of prosperous kingdoms, picturesque and varied landscapes, and magic inherited through birth. The Continent is divided into five domains: the wintry North, the tropical South, the harbor-rich East and West, and the central and vast Medlands.
Magic and sorcery are the two main fantasy elements in this series. Other elements that are equally as important include the paranormal, otherworldly creatures, ancient legends and prophecies, and epic battles.
NOTE: As of the summer of 2011, “Light In The Barrenlands” is currently on hold as I work on other writing projects. If and when I resume work on the novel, I will resume writing blog entries on its progress.
