Book Debut: The Cloud Pearl by Pamela Kelt
Take a moment and check out the Cloud Pearl: Legends of Liria Book One, by Pamela Kelt!
Back Cover
Liria is a land of legend and
beauty, but after a battle with its war-like neighbour, its beloved queen
vanished and the country became prey to the evil Empire of Bura.
Young girls Petra and Svila are
travelling players. Their manager, Zoran, collects legends and stories, hoping
their message will inspire Lirians to regain their country and restore its
cities to former grandeur. One tale tells of how a defeated queen dismantled
her crown into six charms and hid them in the kingdom to avoid capture.
The troupe prepares a show to mark
the arrival of new governor, but it is his sinister wife, Kurova Grax, who
turns up along with a Buran army and demands Zoran’s arrest for treason.
Zoran passes his notes to the girls,
with a brief message. Stay safe. Save Liria. He is dragged off in chains. They
flee, but discover their first quest is to the much-dreaded mountain citadel of
Gorach, seized by Grax’s oldest son, Skaliari.
Soon it is a race against time to
outwit Skaliari and find the first charm. They must use their skills to solve
puzzles, tackle obstacles and overcome their personal fears as they attempt to
save their precious homeland.
Excerpt
Kurto signalled to the soldiers, who
split into two groups. They moved in—some closing in on the nobles, others
heading for the servants at the back. Screams broke out as the soldiers grabbed
at anyone within reach and bundled them out through the doors.
“Oh, no you don’t!” One elderly
servant made a dash for it. Despite his years, he dodged nimbly round the pack
of soldiers and leaped onto the stage. He stood shoulder to shoulder by Zoran,
fists clenched. “I’m not going without a fight. Ain’t that right, General
Perendi? Victory to Liria!” With a bony hand, he saluted Zoran, whose eyes
widened as, with a roar, a crowd of other servants—men, women, and
children—broke away and swarmed toward their rediscovered hero.
The soldiers turned, but a minor
viceroy threw a wild punch, knocking one of them down. Then there was chaos.
The courtyard became a seething mass of nobles and soldiers, arms and legs
flailing. Rotoka piled in too, his bulk giving him a certain advantage. Even
the wives were pitching in, batting the soldiers on the head with cushions,
shoving and pushing.
Amid the confusion, more servants
scrambled onto the stage, crying “Zoran! Zoran! Zoran!” They locked arms,
stamped their feet and cheered wildly.
Grax turned white with rage and
clenched her bony hands. The troops paused, looking to Kurto for guidance.
Petra clung to the curtain. “I can’t
believe it! The nobles are fighting for Zoran.”
Svila came to stand at her side and
sniffed. “They’re not. They’re just fighting for their fancy palaces—they don’t
give a jot for the rest of us.”
“Sheathe that sword!” bellowed Kurto
at one soldier, arm raised, blade glinting. “Not yet! I don’t want a blood bath
on my watch! Grab the ringleaders!”
In seconds, they overpowered Duke
Rotoka. They hauled him off, followed by the other nobles. Grax’s gaze swept
the scene and she climbed onto the wooden platform with a handful of personal
guards, to gain some advantage. “Take them to the dungeons! All of them!”
Back onstage, Broda grabbed Zoran’s
arm. “Run, Zoran!” she urged. “Go! The people can hold the soldiers back for a
while.”
Zoran’s face tightened. “How can I?”
he said, in a voice filled with pain, as he watched a line of soldiers push
nearer. The Lirian servants braced themselves for an attack. “I am no coward.”
Petra spotted Kurto signal to half a
dozen men who began to scout around the edge to get to the stage more quickly.
“Zoran, hurry!” she called to him. “They’ll be here any second!”
Zoran’s gaze drifted over the scene,
and then his jaw snapped as if he’d made a decision. “Petra? Help me lower the
curtain.”
She ran off to untie the rope.
“Watch out!” The Lirians drew back,
puzzled, as the fabric dropped to the floor. Zoran stepped forward. “I need
fuel. Something that will burn fast.”
“What about the oil for the fire
poi?”
His eyes gleamed. “Good thinking,
Petra.”
Petra dashed off and returned with a
flask.
“Candle?” Svila appeared with one
that was already lit.
“Good. Fire in the hole!” Zoran
flung the liquid at the curtain, then set fire to it. The material burst into
flames. “That’ll slow them down.”
Petra shielded her face from the
sudden heat.
“Now we need weapons.” Zoran paced
up and down. Like a real general, thought Petra.
“I’ll help.” The old servant ran up,
his grubby face lined with fearful determination. “I fought with you last time.
Only had a pitchfork then. Must be something around here that’ll do the job.”
Zoran gripped his hand. “Good man.”
The man ran off, calling for everyone to scavenge for bits of furniture, buckets,
rope, anything they could find.
On the other side of the flaming
curtain, the captain was barking orders. “Once the place is clear, secure the
villa for Her Excellency, Governor Grax!”
“What about the players—and the
children?” One soldier asked.
“Tvornak for them!”
“Not the workhouse!” Svila’s pale
face loomed out of the smoke.
Broda appeared, face covered in
smuts. “Time for me to get the children out of here.”
Zoran nodded briskly as Broda spoke
quickly to Luvak. “Quickly now!”
The boy nodded. Broda gave Zoran a
long look, stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek before hurrying off.
Grax’s voice could be heard over the
crackling flames. “The notes! Get the notes!”
“Notes? What notes?” Frowning, Svila
turned to Zoran.
With a terrible ripping sound, the
tips of the soldiers’ swords appeared, slashing their way through the flaming
curtain. “Not much time to explain.” Zoran jabbed a blazing torch at a soldier
trying to push through. “Petra, Svila, listen to me. The legend of the charms, it’s
all true!”
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