Shades Of Lightening

PROLOGUE

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello readers

My daughter is encouraging me to share my writing skills here, so I am giving it a try however, I have 2 major drawbacks , I don't get enough time to write and 1 am not much of a tecky person therefore editing is slow and somewhat patchy and haphazard at times. But do bear with me, because I have an interesting tale to spin and I am still in the process of editing the prologue to this work. So hang on.

This book is a work of fiction whereby the names, characters places and occurrences are either product of the authour's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner.
Remember if you enjoy this book or any aspect of it send me a comment or drop me a vote.It would be great encouragement. In addition, do remember that am still in the process of writing the prologue and editing the work so there may be glitches or changes here or there...hope this will be a fun read for you.

THE ESCAPE

Ragualto watched with pensive sadness as the two enormous granites slid across each other. Immediately billows of grey-green waves spiraled both sides of the narrow passageway, forming a hydro walled tunnel that not only appears to stretch for miles but seemed to narrow, the deeper it is traversed. They were moving at maddening speed and the sounds of wagon wheels and horses hooves against sedimentary cobblestones were almost deafening. Earthquake-like aftershocks reverberated the atmosphere and he felt rather than saw the east and west horizontal cliff faces briefly uniting before descending vertically to form a key-like lock with the stone wall of its lower plateau. He felt a mild heat along his right leg and glanced down to witness the orange blue glow from the stolen lightening sceptor. It burns brightly for a few seconds, then slowly dissipates into darkness and he wondered if it had actually been done. Just as his grand Papa had predicted. Could this actually be real? And if so, what next?. He trembled at the reality of what might have been his doing. He would have done the unthinkable, he had sealed the gates to Valhalla, severing all connection with the outside world and probably eliminated the existence of a unique
race.
When Keturah had told him she was with child, a crippling fear ran up Ragualto's spine. He had committed two unforgivable sins. He had impregnated his brothers bethrowed and he Ragualto, the king's bastard and the son of a concubine had escaped sterility. This was high treason not just for him but for his mother at court, the midwife and the rest of his family throughout the land. But for them this was a small price to pay to regain the democracy of their beloved land and he Ragualto was charged with seeing to it.
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THE HERITAGE

Ragualto and Castelio were brothers, both of noble blood but for Ragualto, and many of zeuron's other bastards, gestation was where nobility ends. His mother was a mere concubine in zeuron's harlem and the rules of Valhalla states that all illegitimate offsprings of zeuron should be sterilized so as to protect the royal bloodline, protect the throne and the lightening orchid . So even though Ragualto and Castello were both princes, Ragualto did not share the royal benefits of his ligitimate half brother. What they did share however, was friendship and a bond so strong, it was unbreakable or so he thought.
From the day he was brought to the palace at the tender age of five, he and Castellio had developed a special friendship, one which started off as a competitive comaradre when Ragualto was chosen as a sparing partner during Castellio'swordmanship training. Castello had liked the challenge Ragualto posed. Unlike all the other boys from the commoners quarters, Ragualto not only had a proud air about him but he matched him speed for speed, skill for skill and then some. They played together, hunted together and attended the grandest of balls together.But the problem started when they both fell in love with the same woman.

Keturah was a spunky boyish brunette from Lord caledron's house in the province of seers. Though lacking the feminine softness of her sister, she had an exotic allureness coupled with an opinionated personality that was magnetic.This beautiful free spirited maiden openly rebelled against the culture of arranged marriages and marginalization of the female species, a quality Ragualto admired. They had met when Castello was bethrowed to pristillieon,Keturah's older sister.The Caledron family had come to court so that Castello would get a chance to meet his future queen and Castello was certainly not disappointed. Pristilleon was beautiful docile and royally bred and have been groomed in the art of pleasing her king,just the way Castello liked them. There was no doubt that Pristilleon would make a fine queen. "So why was he jealous of the relationship that was brewing between Ragualto and the ugly sister". The woman was boyish and had a mouth on her that left a lot to be desired . So why in the name of sweet Alla did he want her so damn much.She tormented his thoughts and mind for a full twenty eight days before he made the damning decision He was going to have her at all cost and put that fiesty tongue under subjection. "And why shouldn't he, he thought. After all ,wasn't he the future king of Valhalla. Further more he will be doing her a favour.As far as he was concerned, a woman like Keturah would want to have children one day and Ragualto was one of the nine boys that grew up in the commoner's quarters. Growing up in the palace, Castello has heard things. Ragualto will never be able to sire a child the thought pains Castello's heart, but as his dad always say " With great power comes great responsibility and his father had to do what he had to do to protect his legacy. Just as he now will do what he have to do.Castello mentally began to brace himself, for the melt down, Ragualto will be mad but they'll work it out, they always do. They were brothers for life.