The Legend Of Heliodor: The Crystal Spirits
Clive Culverhouse
Author Bio
I’m a first time author and this, my debut novel, is now a self-published ebook on Amazon Kindle. I enjoy writing in a detailed and descriptive style of imagination and fantasy, exploring the far flung realms of mystic, magical lands of forgotten times.
As time aplenty found me while injured out of my career as a Paramedic, I set to work on creating the mysterious world from the swirling ideas of my mind. Since leaving the ambulance service I have retrained as counsellor and I do voluntary work co-running a mental health support in my area. But it is writing and creating stories that I wish to pursue.
My passion is rocks, minerals and crystals and this unites with my fascination of dragons, ancient wisdom, alchemy and sorcery to bring my stories excitingly and colourfully to life. The Legend Of Heliodor is the first instalment in what will hopefully become a series of books based in this intriguing world. The Crystal Spirits marks the start of a journey for Kyan, my main character, and now with this book finished, I am busy writing the next where the story continues and builds towards a third.
I live with my wife and two children in Lincolnshire, England.
Description
This colourfully descriptive story is a fantasy fiction set in a distant land in a magical realm. Based on an ancient and sacred legend that has been passed down through hundreds of years and countless generations, the story is now retold to a small class of children at the school by the mysterious Professor Cinnabar; a strange misfit and village Elder who has taught the legend for a great many years to a great many children.
A young scruffy boy called Kyan sits and listens with excitement and awe as he learns about an ancient King who built up his kingdom from nothing to make the land all around prosper and revel in joyous good times. Wealth and good fortune lavished his realm and he was adored by his people.
But it wasn’t to last. A mighty Fire-Tongue dragon had two magical crystals that balanced their powers. One crystal was for good, the other for evil. Over the vastness of time the crystals were together and their magic was kind to the land but one day, with the Fire-Tongue dragon banished, the King was left in despair. The King’s life was coming to and his weakened state saw the two crystals separate. Now the evil crystal was free to bring terror upon the land and the people left behind by the once powerful King were doomed to suffer the wrath of the dragons.
Kyan, now having grown up with the legend, finds himself thrown into the sacred story and is left with the task of reuniting the magical crystals to restore the balance that once prevailed and bring about a renewed prosperity to the people. His quest sees him develop in power as danger is all around him. But he has his friends and his family by his side and along with the Professor, he has all the knowledge he needs to understand just how powerful the crystals can be. Or so he thinks… Kyan discovers that not all is what it seems.
The Legend Of Heliodor: The Crystal Spirits is an entertaining and exciting story that is for older children, teens and young adults but as everyone likes a legend, older adults can escape into the world of Fire-Tongues and powerful crystals.
Book excerpt
Cinnabar was sitting on a rickety old wooden chair; his cluttered desk behind him swamped under a small untidy stack of dusty old books and some rather odd bits and pieces that looked like antique laboratory equipment and ancient scientific instruments that would have been more at home in a museum or in an alchemist’s or wizard’s lair. In front of him was a small group of young children who were sitting cross-legged in a cosy huddled bunch, all staring up at him intently, transfixed and hanging on to every word the wise old man spoke. He knew all of the children in the town; he had blessed them all as and when they were born, as he had blessed all of their parents before them. His aged, experienced and knowing face, together with his husky voice was almost hypnotic to the children, eager to learn and take in what was being taught to them with such passion.
“… and hundreds of years ago,” explained Cinnabar, “a powerful beast, a huge mighty dragon gave two crystal stones to a poor man who he knew to be good and honest”. Cinnabar’s story-telling voice carried the words with such enchantment that the children seated before him could almost envisage the wonder of the ancient times ….
The mighty dragon towered over the meek, poor man who looked up at the beast with fear and dread. This terrifying, colossal creature could kill him where he stood with one breath of his fiery roar if he so desired. Armour of reddish reptilian scales, razor sharp talons, dagger-like teeth and his enormous tail, struck fear into all who saw it. The remarkable beast stood over sixteen feet tall and had a long, powerful, serpent-like body with giant wings stretching out from its back. But as the poor man found the courage to gaze up at the dragon, he stared into its menacing orange eyes and the more he stared, the deeper he could see. As if he was looking beyond the reptilian eyes into the depths of the dragon itself, into its very soul. The poor man had never seen eyes like it before. At one point he felt as though he was falling through space, a magical cloudy soup made from the colours of the dragon’s eyes and as he fell deeper and deeper within the dragon’s gaze, he began to feel that there was no danger after all. He was reassured, safe and protected, becoming as one with the dragon. The powerful beast that towered over him seemed no longer threatening or terrifying.
“Never look a Fire-Tongue directly in the eye!” Cinnabar boomed as his softened voice erupted with a force that made all the youngsters jump as they remained seated in their semi-circular huddle on the cold wooden floor. “They will hypnotize you, they will fool you into a false sense of security, and they will put you under the dragon’s spell so that he owns you and controls your every move.