Come to Vayu-Vata for the Adventure, Stay Because You Got Captured By Demons

Hello everyone, this is 'ESB' Stringfellow, and I am the one who let the dogs out, and this is...

The Synopsis For Book IV!!!

Let us dive right into it, shall we?

Spirits of adventure... Guided by the wind... Dreams of freedom... A love without end...

 Cyankazu Omondi and Magus, warriors, spell casters, heroes and adventurers, have traveled far and seen many things on their journeys. And now they have arrived to the desert kingdom of Vayu-Vata, where their greatest story thus far was not about the destination, but the road to get there.

The two travelers face many new adversaries... thieves of the desert, a monstrous lion, a savage draco and demons of the sands... all because they promised to help a recently freed slave named Alee to rescue his beloved.

As though guided by the Winds of Fate, Cyankazu Omondi, Magus and their new allies embark on an adventure of trials worthy of the greatest heroes of legends.

 

Rather shiny, ain't it?

So, this synopsis kind of gives the best details about this book, but for the sake of making this a longer post, I'll just go into more detail!

 

Now, when I wanted to write this story, I was truly racking my brain trying to think of something, something undeniably awesome, but on the fun, adventurous side. Fresh from the ending of a war, I really wanted Cyan and Magus to have a nice and smooth story, one that gave them something exciting to do, but didn't require them to make bold or Fate-of-the-World type choices. And thus the premise of the story became this: They find a traveling merchant that owns slaves, and being the heroes that they are, Cyan and Magus free them. One of the slaves, named Alee, asks for their help. There is a woman, named Morgiana, also a slave, who he is desperate to return to and free as well. However, she is under the service of the country's most vile and feared ruler ever, King Zaman, a monster of a human being if there ever was one. After hearing his story, our heroes agree to help!

 

But... to save Morgiana and maybe even dethrone an evil king, Cyan, Magus and Alee must cross the great desert, the Mazan Desert. Not only do they have to cross it, they have to contend with... well, obstacles, I guess we can say.

 

First, they face a group of deadly thieves called the Desert Riders, and in the process they free a magical-infused horse named Rakhsh. He's like Magus, meaning that he is a normal horse who was just granted the gift of magic at his birth, which allows him to communicate via telepathy and cast some spells. I sure hope you all enjoy the interactions of Rakhsh and Magus as much as I enjoyed typing it.

 

After that, there is a monster lion, then getting lost in the desert after being robbed under mysterious circumstances, finding an enchanted oasis, fighting a dragon, then the dragon's master, then the dragon's master's master, who is a demon.

 

All of this is to say that getting to Alee's girlfriend is going to take some serious trials, the kind that create true heroes. At the end of this spirited adventure, Alee will find the strength that he needs to make the choice that will better the entire kingdom.

 

Now I think is the time to remind you all that I have two different covers for this book. The one above is the one used for the physical copy, which was made by my former publishers (still no idea what exactly happened to them), but the one below is used for the Kindle version.

 

If this invokes the thought of a desert, then its job is done.

 

I was able to secure the digital rights to Book IV: Fu before America Star Books went under/disappeared/ran away, which is why I got this cover for the Kindle. The font may lack that certain... Dazzle... but it is truly the best that I can do on my own. Maybe one day I'll get lucky and I'll be able to get a better cover, but for now this is it. Besides, as long as the cover looks interesting enough, hopefully it'll entice people to read the synopsis or take a look inside. After all, it's what's inside the book that counts.

 

Beautiful, Scenic, and lots of things to eat (you)

 

Now, if I could have your attention for a bit more, I would like to inform you that, out of all of my books, this is the one that would be great to have as your first. Remember, The Five Year Pilgrimage doesn't have to be read in order, each story is independent on its own. So, if you were to pick just one story to help give you an idea of what to expect but don't want to read the nearly 600 hundred pages of Path of a Hero, then this, my dear readers, is the perfect jumping on point. It's exciting, it has heart, humor and lovable characters, and chances are good that this one won't make you cry at the ending (that would be Book II: Sui).

 

And that is where I think I'll call it that. Until next time, my dear readers.

Sincerely, 'ESB' Stringfellow

 

War Never Changes... Unless There Are Dragons Involved

Hello everyone, this is 'ESB' Stringfellow, and I dream of being a firebender, and this is...

The Synopsis of Book III: Ka!!!

I've been meaning to get this one out, but things sure have been... distracting lately (translation: I was too lazy). I'm here now, though, and that's all that matters. Read on, and discover what awaits our heroes for their third adventure...

Through force of will... No matter how dire... Heroes shall rise... and face the dragon fire...

Cyankazu Omondi, a samurai mage and hero to his people, had traveled far and learned much. Magus, a magical rodent with more fiery courage than most humans, had fought as much as he had loved. And now... the two companions face their greatest challenge yet...

In the land of Eldur, where dragon riders rule both land and sky, a fierce and bloody war was coming to a close, with Cyankazu and Magus becoming embroiled in the center of it all. After creating new friends and deadly new enemies alike, the two find themselves forced to assume command and fight a battle that seems utterly hopeless.

With inner fires as strong as the breath of the mightiest draco, the two heroes will fight to the bitter end... But at what terrible costs?

How to Train Your Dragon (Sorta)

Now that's what I call a beautiful cover! I love how the red and black mesh together and with the black dragon emblem dominating the center. Best cover I've seen on my books, to be honest, and I'll be lucky to find something just as perfect as this ever again on my own. *Sigh* Oh, well. Lets get down to business, shall we?

In this story, Cyan and Magus chance upon something that puts a little snag into their world travels: a dragon egg. The start of this story shows how Magus, quite reluctantly, becomes the "mother" to the hatchling, who is dubbed Titania.

For a whole year, Cyan and Magus raise their new responsibility and teach her (yes, a girl dragon) the basics in hunting, fighting and flying. When the time comes, the two heroes are ready to take Titania out into the wide open world, and let her travel with them for the reminder of their Five Year Pilgrimage. However, Fate deals them a crushing blow in the form of an attack by a cruel and power-hungry warmonger by the name of Lord Calvarick, leader of the Drake Raiders.

Cyan, Magus and Titania are all captured, with Cyan even being tortured and questioned, with Lord Calvarick being under the impression that Cyan works for his sworn enemies, the Draco Knights. Fortunately, an attack by those very enemies forces Lord Calvarick to leave Cyan and Magus, which gives them the opportunity to escape. During the battle, they save Titania and meet some of the Draco Knights, who prove themselves to be noble and honorable.

Now, at this point, I would like to stop giving you the entire story in abridged-form and just simply explain what this adventure entails.

In Book III: Ka, I formally establish a dynamic that I had often hinted at in earlier books. If you have been reading my other books thus far, you'll notice that dragons are both revered and feared, treated with respect at some points, and treated like monsters at others. The reason for this is because, in this world, dragons come in two different varieties: Nobles and Savages. Half of the dragons in the world are friendly and get along well with humans, and the other half is violent and a bane to all other living things. There is a kind of Kain and Abel type of in-universe-myth that explains why, but seeing as I don't mention this in the story, I won't get into it here, because that is a story for another time...

Anyway, the goal of this story was to introduce several breeds of dragons, on both sides, and show them paired with human riders and to have them in the midst of a war. And that... is pretty much it.

Cyan and Magus meet a new villain, but they also meet many new friends, and because the Draco Knights helped them escape Lord Calvarick's clutches, they stick around for a while. They also use this opportunity to introduce Titania to other dragons of her type, which could very well mean that she will choose to stay among her own kind.

However, all of that is almost forgotten as soon as it begun, because the war between the Draco Knights and Drake Raiders suddenly reaches a whole new level, and the scales tip drastically to one side, pushing the heroes to the brink of total defeat.

In this story, Cyan and Magus find themselves in a position that they've never been in before: that of leaders. But how can they lead when the odds are so overwhelming? How can they fight when death seems impossible to avoid?

Find out, in this war of the dragons...

I AM FIRE!!!

Until next time, my dear readers.
Sincerely, 'ESB' Stringfellow