FORGED BY MAGIC

ORIGINS
Prequel 1 (Book 0.5)
in The Forged Series

Angela Orlowski-Peart

Three Graces Publishing

Copyright © 2013 Angela Orlowski-Peart
All Rights Reserved.

Visit the author at http://www.angelapeart.com

 This is a work of fiction. All of the characters,
locations, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel
are either products of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

FORGED BY MAGIC: ORIGINS

Copyright © 2013 by Angela Orlowski-Peart

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used, reproduced,
scanned, distributed, stored, or transmitted in whole or in
part, in any form, by any means, including graphic,
electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying or
recording without the express written permission from the
author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.
For further information or permission please contact
the author at angela@angelapeart.com
 Artwork by Jeannie Ruesch
Paperback cover design by Martina Elise Dalton
Copyright © 2013 by Angela Orlowski-Peart

First Edition, 2013 published in the United States of

America
Three Graces Publishing.

ISBN: 061582580X (paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-0-9883695-2-8 (ebook)
 To Mom, Dad, Ewa, Alex, Amanda, and Matt
You all deserve the credit once again.
Thank you for being part of my life.

Special thanks to the Writers in The Rain: Brenda

Beem, Eileen Riccio, Fabio Bueno, Martina Elise Dalton,
and Suma Subramaniam. To my friends and beta readers.
To my amazing graphic designers, Jeannie Ruesch and
Martina Elise Dalton. To my family and friends for
believing in me.
I dedicate this book to you.
 

   
  
 
 
THE AMULET

Acopoth was the first to arrive. His six brothers would

join him soon. The sun hurt his flesh, sending a prickling
sensation over his hands and wrists. Sacred runes ran over
his skin in an intricate maze of symbols, lines, and ancient
words, disappearing under the sleeves of his long white
cloak. The markings were raised up in his skin like thin
faintly-colored ridges. The cloak with an oversized hood
protected the rest of his body from the harmful heat of the
mortal world’s sun.
He was tempted to cover his hands, but even a small
patch of his exposed skin helped to draw the magic from
the earth. He felt the power rising slowly, laboriously,
pulling itself from the hot sand and to his fingers, entering
him, and spreading through his body. Magic extracted near
ley lines was the strongest in its uncontaminated state,
unmodified by the living creatures and plants. Magic from
where the two main ley lines crossed was the purest of all,
because that’s where the only portal to the Mages’ parallel
world existed.
The others began arriving at once. First, white wisps
of vapor swirled in front of Acopoth, slowly solidifying
into a broad-shouldered figure of Zentehta. Next, a bright-
orange fog materialized into Laintre, and a soft blue—into
Xandah. A moment later Meresh stepped out of a black
miasma, and Tuleilan appeared from a green cloud.
They formed a circle, leaving space for the last Mage.
Yellow vapor danced in the empty spot, slowly becoming
the solid figure of Brentarion. Seven brothers stood,
covered in white cloaks, deep hoods shading their faces.
Each of them stretched their arms forward, exposing the
sacred runes on their hands. They drew the magic from the
core of the planet, all the way to their fingertips.
Their bodies were now outlined, each in the color of
their own powers. An acrid smell of the Earth’s
concentrated magic became stronger. The Mages’
whispered incantations got louder, a chorus of well-
balanced low voices that perfectly fit together. A sphere
formed around them, like a soap bubble, colors mixing and
sliding over the surface. Sand rose outside it, as if stirred by
a wild wind.
The Mages slowly upturned their hands, so the palms
faced up. Each held a swirling ball of condensed magic. At
once they threw the balls into the heart of the circle,
chanting together the spells in a language only known to
them. A thick pillar of bright light burst up from the sand,
sending it flying in all directions. It stretched high up,
pierced the sky, and continued far away into the Universe.
The ground shook, but the Mages stood firm,
unmoved. Magic pulsed around them, traveling from the
core of the Earth and through their bodies. It shot out in
short, bright snaps, zigzagging between their fingertips—
from one brother to the next. Flowing around their circle, it
connected each of them to the pillar of light.
As the earthquake continued, the ground opened
outside the sphere in long, deep gashes. The first gust of
hot wind was powerful, but the next brought a full-fledged
storm. Sand rushed at the protective sphere, covering it for
a moment, and then passing further, away from them, as if
on a mission of unstoppable destruction.
The direction of magic in the pillar of light reversed
and now tore down from the Universe, all the way to
Earth’s heart. The brothers’ chanting became louder, until
they were shouting their incantations. Their heads were
bent, and faces hidden deep in the shadows of the hoods.
Trapped by the Mages, the Universe’s powers angrily
struck the planet. In a matter of minutes the Earth’s
magnetic fields had reversed, and hot lava sprayed from
new volcanoes awakening around the planet. Hurricanes
and tornadoes ravished the lands and the waters. Tsunamis
claimed the ground, and meteors rained down from the
skies, as if punishing the Earth for tapping into the powers
of the Universe.
The madness of destruction had continued, while the
brothers chanted in loud, strong voices, determined to
finish the task they had agreed to complete for the Winter
Goddess. The day turned into night, and then everything
went still—as suddenly as it had started. The winds and the
earthquakes ended, and the meteors stopped bombarding
the planet. The waters retreated from the lands, and only a
few volcanoes continued their assault on the surrounding
areas. The Mages brought their arms down, fingers splayed
and pointed toward the ground.
Magic still floated around and through them, but its
pillar, gushing down from the Universe, thinned, until it
became no wider in diameter than a sapling. It continued to
shrink and lost most of its brightness, until it stopped
completely. The night gave way into a new day, and the
sun rose on the horizon once more.
Many doors to the other parallel dimensions were now
opened by the powers of the Universe. Otherworldly
creatures began to come through, attracted by the unusual
mix of magic. Outside the protective sphere, gathered a
huge crowd of nymphs, fairies, demons, and other
abominations. They stood, eagerly watching the Mages,
waiting for permission to claim the Earth. Neither made a
sound. Some were pure and beautiful, while others bore a
mark of dark and dangerous forces.
The brothers stepped in close toward the center,
tightening their circle. They guarded whatever was now
inside the sphere from the beings that waited outside.
Magic, thick and strong, lazily swirled around the hooded
figures. It stretched in gentle wisps toward the sphere,
testing it, trying to find a crack through which it could set
itself free.
Half-buried in the sand lay a beautiful, intricately-cut
jewel. Magic emanated from it in bright, colorless rays. The
air around the jewel quivered, distorting its edges. Each of
the Mages extended one hand over it, palm facing down,
and resumed his quiet incantations. Their own powers that
now rained down from their hands were like a rainbow of
colors, mixing and separating, each trying to overwhelm
the other.
The gem beamed from yellow to red to purple to
green, and then milky-white, only to turn deep black and
fade to a rich blue. The colors cycled through a few more
times faster, almost frantically, until light burst out of the
jewel in a cascade of blue rays.
All brothers stood, bathed in blue light. Each, except
for Xandah, withdrew their hands and waited. The sphere
pulsed with magic, and the dense crowd of creatures
outside took a few steps back, some shouting in fear, the
others murmuring curses or words of awe. Xandah’s chants
became louder, his deep, low voice rising over the others.
He kneeled by the jewel, with both hands cradling the air
right above it. The gem rose from the sand, slowly lifting to
Xandah’s fingers. He grasped it gently and turned his hand
up. The blue jewel rested on his palm.
“Amulet,” Laintre said in a raspy whisper. Each of the
Mages repeated the word, nodding their approval.
Xandah handed the Amulet to Meresh, who silently
inspected it. The jewel made its way from one brother to
the next, until Brentarion returned it to Xandah for
safekeeping. Now they had to deliver it to the Goddesses—
Crystal, of the Winter, and Amber, of the Summer.
Acopoth thought about Amber. She would not be pleased,
since it was Crystal who had secretly commissioned the
Amulet from them. But the Goddesses’ quarrels were not
their concern. The Mages only wanted to ensure stability in
this world, by giving each Goddess a responsibility to
protect it. They had captured the powers of the Universe,
and entwined them in the Amulet. Their job was done.
Now the Goddesses had to follow the Mages’
requirements. Crystal and her Winter Shape Shifters would
hold the Amulet for one thousand years, and then
peacefully pass it to Amber and the Summer Shifters for
safekeeping. This process would be repeated every one
thousand years, or until either the Mages decided
otherwise, or one of the Shifter Races ceased to exist.
Laintre touched Xandah’s arm and pointed to the
Amulet in his brother’s tight fist. Blue-colored magic
seeped through between Xandah’s fingers. He opened his
hand and Laintre caressed the gem. Thick gold wires
wrapped themselves around the Amulet, twisting over it,
and then into a long rope-chain.
Acopoth tapped the chain with one long finger. A
clasp appeared in a shape of a howling wolf, with the head
turned up, and the eyes almost shut. The wolf’s fur was
beautifully detailed. All of the Mages leaned over the
Amulet, examining its new setting of gold. Hundreds of
small golden and blue specks shined on their faces, as the
sun rays reflected off the jewel.
“You favor the Winter Race, my brother,” Meresh said
slowly. “But you know the Amulet must protect them all.
The humans too.”
Zentehta stretched his palm over the jewel and moved
his hand once in a circle. A fire-like script coiled itself over
the Amulet’s edge, barely touching its surface. The runes
that crawled around the gem came from the Mages’ ancient
language.
“I am the protector of life. I am the guardian of
balance. I keep them safe. The Shifters and humans alike,”
Meresh read the script. All his brothers nodded in consent.
It was time for them to leave. Acopoth knew that his
brothers didn’t like Earth. It was so much different from
their own Realm. And the sun, that hot, prickling sun
burned their flesh, even under the cloak of magic. The only
good thing about this place were the Shifter women. Not
the human, but the Summer and the Winter Shifters. They
were strong and beautiful; and the Earth’s magic condensed
and increased around them, making them irresistible to the
Mages.
Xandah closed his fingers around the Amulet. The
chain spilled down from his hand and gently swung from
side to side. Together, the brothers whispered sacred words
from the beginning of time. The protective sphere began
circling around them, first slowly, and then gaining speed.
The magic spun into a smudge of interlocking colors.
A gasp tore from the sea of throats. All abominations
ran away from the sphere, finally realizing they were not in
their own worlds, but on Earth. And they were not welcome
here. Some of them rushed through the closing doors to
their own dimensions, either making it back in time, or
becoming crushed and dissolving into nothingness. But
most stayed there, drawn to a strange divergence of this
new place.
 The protective sphere shattered into thousands of
small jagged pieces, sharp like glass. It burst outwards, as if
chasing after the running creatures. One by one, the
brothers vanished through the miasma of their colored
magic. Acopoth stayed a while longer, watching the night
sprawl over the desert. The whispers and cackles of the
otherworldly creatures mixed with the stillness of the
cooling air. Many eyes shone brightly in the blackness,
some still or slowly blinking, the others darting in fright or
looking for prey.
The new era on Earth had begun.
 

This is one of five fantasy stories included in this

anthology. If you enjoyed it, please download the full book
from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Forged-Magic-
Origins-Series-
ebook/dp/B00D3Y9ST4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=13702
88884&sr=8-1&keywords=Forged+by+magic

Thank you!
Angela Orlowski-Peart