The Right Hand of Velachaz

coming Fall of 2002 from LTD Books

Teman crouched behind a rough stone wall, squinting against the golden rays of the setting sun. He didn’t spy any of the pack of boys who had been chasing him. Maybe he had finally lost them…he’d been dodging through the back streets for hours. 

As he leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, he tried to remember a time when he wasn’t hungry and cold. He couldn’t do it—that would have worried him if he’d had the energy to spare, but at the moment, all he wanted to do was find a safe place for the night….

            Teman sighed, and opened his eyes. With a gasp of shock, he tried to back through the stone wall at the sight of a robed figure looming before him.  The figure smiled, a twinkling glimmer lighting its dark eyes.

            “Don’t be afraid, little mouse—I don’t wish to harm you.”

            “B-but you’re—”

            “—That terribly wicked wizard, Velachaz. Yes, I know. How about some dinner?”

            Teman swallowed hard at the very mention of food. He’d found a crust of bread in the marketplace yesterday evening, and it had seemed a feast. But to trust the magic-user…?

Twelve-year-old Teman finds himself drawn into a world he never dreamed he’d be a part of—a world of magic and mystery; a world of heroic quests and demonic creatures; a world of dragons. Plucked from the streets to help the wizard Velachaz hide a secret from his past, Teman soon discovers that he shares the gift of Magic. As he practices to master his first spells, he meets a strange young knight-to-be who is off to slay a dragon. When the knight turns out to be Velachaz’s nephew Galen, the quest is on.

Teman and Vela journey north with the youth in hopes of saving Galen from himself. They encounter one adventure after another along the way, learning from each other as they go. But Teman has a secret of his own. He hopes to save the dragon from Galen’s sword before either one of them gets hurt. What they find when they reach the dragon’s lair is the biggest secret of all.

The story is peopled with interesting characters and supernatural beings; from the plucky servant Sally whose sling seldom misses to the eccentric artist Mad Elaine; the wood sprite Rowan, the wicked cat-woman in her ruined tower, and of course, the dragon.

In the end, only by working together can Teman and Velachaz hope to save the day.

coming from LTD Books!