Return of the Defenders
This is the first book in a four-book fantasy series that continues the saga of Brodia and Preem. This book will be available on Amazon in the summer of 2026.
Back of book cover
The Defenders of Vosj were forced to hide when the most powerful wizard in history tore down the palace, killing the royal family and an apprentice wizard. To avenge those deaths, they must first survive, so Brodia and Preem sought refuge in a remote valley in the mountains where the surviving grand wizards raised their precocious daughter, Tresela.
The child becomes magically aware at the age of five. For her, magic is as simple as skipping along a mountain path. But after six years, their peace is shattered as events in their homeland bring the enemy’s focus on their sanctuary. Brodia’s hopes of raising her daughter far from the powerful grand wizard’s interest have gone astray as they break out from their haven – only to find their foes are even stronger.
Waves in the Water
Tresela tossed another boat onto the rushing waters of the stream near Home Cave, where she lived. She watched as the strip of bark bobbed its way before disappearing over a rock. The girl sat on her haunches in the pouring rain. But she didn’t care as it had rained daily for as long as her five-year-old mind remembered.
In her game, each craft was one of Grand Wizard Papa’s fishing boats. She loved his stories told by the home campfire in the evenings. Tales of houses above a cliff with fishing boats at the bottom. Legends of sea storms, creating waves like those that crashed into the cliff’s base at the edge of her world. She’d never seen a proper house or ship, though Mama promised to take her flying to see some. She loved floating around their green valley with her grand wizard parents and dreamed of soaring over the mountains to see the strange world outside.
But Ma was flying alone with Pa, so they weren’t at Home Cave, which meant she must be mindful of what Aunt Jis told her. Still, she could slip away whenever Auntie played with her knives. Of course, she wouldn’t wander off too far, so she remained beside the forest’s edge.
After making her next craft by pulling more bark from the dead branch she’d found, she felt a strange itch at the back of her neck. Her conical hat stopped her from reaching it, so she continued her game. After tossing the make-believe boat into the stream, she overheard sounds above the constant patter of the rain on her leather headgear. But a maze of pine trees blocked her view. Is Jis creeping up on me? After taking off her hat, she strained for the noise again, ignoring the rainfall plastering her black, curly hair to her head.
All her young ears picked up was the deluge hitting the trees, so she slipped on her hat before making another ship to send to the big cliff at her world’s edge. Tresela chased it as it turned in the water. Soon, she was past the point where she saw her home valley. But she still sensed Uncle Ibun practicing magic at Home Cave. Besides, she wouldn’t break Mama’s biggest rule about not crossing this stream.
The itch continued to pester her. When a strange sound came again from the woods, she held her breath to listen; someone shuffled through the soggy pine needles. “Aunt Jis,” she called out. Of course, she didn’t feel Auntie like Uncle Ibun, so she wasn’t sure if it was her. “I can hear you,” she said, wishing it were true.
She spied a light brown shadow deep in the near black of the tree trunks. Standing, she watched, hoping for Jis in her bearskin coat. But the thing moving between the pine trees was so much bigger. Tresela stepped back as the creature came closer. In the past, when she met one of these monsters, Papa, or Mama, pushed it away with their magic that she couldn’t see, so she knew she must keep far from it. She took another backward step, her feet on the water’s edge. But her attention remained on the massive animal walking toward her that Mama called a bear. It sniffed the air.
Tresela ran into her stream. Behind her, the monster crashed through the bushes.
The flow raced over the slippery stones. When she peeked back, the bear was at the stream’s bank. She slid as the water tugged at her legs. Screaming, she hit the cold current, which dragged her away. Rocks banged into her as she tumbled in the flow that pulled off her hat. When she grabbed a rock, her hand slipped; then, she rolled down the stream again. Everything was spinning faster. Soon, Tresela no longer flopped over stones; now, she floated. She had to fight hard to keep her head up to breathe.
It swept her into a pool, giving her time to yell for help. But the stream hated little girls, so it pushed her from the still water. The trees flew past her, but they didn’t care about a small girl either. The cold made each breath painful. She spun, holding herself up to cry out.
After being battered by the flow, Tresela found herself floating in calmer waters. Waggling her hands, she twisted to peer around. Now she was in a broader river, drifting past the forest. All thoughts about the bear disappeared. If she reached those trees, she’d be safe. She paddled toward the nearest shore, her arms flailing as the cold stole her strength. She just wanted to rest. So, she did.
She searched for Uncle Ibun with her mind, but he was far away, so she sought Ma or Pa, but found nothing. Then, she noticed a speck in the air near the forest’s edge. Was it Mama or a bird? Tresela screamed as loud as possible, but the dot did not care either. Stripes, her cat, would care, but he was in Home Cave because he didn’t like the rain.
It would be easier if she breathed like a fish, so she let herself sink. The liquid tasted clean. With her eyes open, she spotted the bottom. Can I breathe down there? A calmness came over her as she drifted down. Then, something snapped her back. She knew she would die there, so she kicked up to the surface, gulping another desperate breath.
That sky’s speck was gone, so she cried because the world no longer cared. Tresela turned herself to see where the river was taking her, but saw nothing except a sky filled with dark clouds. She was at her world’s end, as the water disappeared over the big waterfall down to the endless sea.
Scared, the five-year-old held her breath. Next time, she would stay in Home Cave as Mama told her. Next time, she wouldn’t die.
Then, the floating stopped because she was falling. She screamed as strongly as her lungs allowed. Then she yelled some more. She was still crying when she realized she wasn’t dropping anymore as the water pounded into her from head to toe, making breathing hard. The air shimmered as it wrapped around her, holding her against the endless deluge. Those airborne ripples pulled her out of the torrent into the rain.
Ma floated nearby, but Tresela now noticed the different air beneath her. That glimmer came from the tip of the metal stick in her belt.
“Mama!” she cried.
Once the air released her, she fell into Mama’s arms, safe at last. She hugged her, whispering, “I have you, honey.”
Burying her head in Mama’s shoulder, Tresela held on as tight as possible. She accepted she’d be punished at home, but her world was perfect for now. Behind her, the wall of water ran off the cliff above them. It disappeared far below where the sea met the rocks. She remained cold, but Ma took most of it away.
“Are you hurt?” Mama asked. She shook her head. “Tresela?” She hated Mama’s you’re-in-trouble voice, so she held on tighter. “Tresela Forma. You listen to me.”
She lifted her head, gazing into her mother’s beautiful eyes. “I’m so sorry, Mama.”
But Ma’s expression turned angry. “Don’t you ever do this again. You hear me! Papa and I were so scared. Aunt Jisana too.” Tresela hid her face in Mama’s shoulder. “You must promise never to run off again.”
“Yes, Mama,” she whispered, wanting the telling off to end.
The rain continued to pound Tresela’s hatless head. But she didn’t mind. Up they flew until the top of the waterfall was far below. As she snuggled into the wet fur of Mama’s arrox-skin coat, she forgot to say she saw the waves in the air.
The tip of Mama’s wand whispered to her, just like in her recent dreams, where a cavern much smaller than Home Cave asked her to come in. She was too scared to enter in her nightmares, but in Mama’s arms, she wasn’t afraid anymore. So, she let her imagination step inside, where she discovered a glowing red stone that Mama held in her hands.
The rock said hello, so Tresela greeted it. When she touched it, she found Mama’s love for her as strong as the wind that blew in the cold months. I am sorry, she sent to Mama’s mind.
“Is that you, honey?” her mother asked.
She nodded without lifting her head, so Mama held her tighter.