ELYSIUM...
Othyli's lies were so perfect, the kingdom she abandoned never knew. Now to save her people, she must become the legend they never believed.
Othyli's lies were so perfect, the kingdom she abandoned never knew. Now to save her people, she must become the legend they never believed.
E·ly·si·um (ĭ-lĭz'ē-əm) n. a place or condition of ideal happiness.
Cockaigne (kŏ-kān') n. an imaginary land of easy and luxurious living.
Cockaigne (kŏ-kān') n. an imaginary land of easy and luxurious living.
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
It was all a lie. The beautiful grief of the orphaned princess Othyli for her heroic martyred father, wasn't real. The treacherous enemy who hired a dragon to imprison her for more than a decade, didn't exist. The sage judgment with which she guided the land into this era of unprecedented peace, was a veneer disintegrating before growing madness. How could Othyli ever live up to the reverence, trust, and loyalty the people of Cockaigne had for their idealized queen?
Reality was overwhelming every one of her illusions. Frantic to preserve them, Othyli reenters her estranged kingdom disguised as a traveling mercenary, to find the one wizard who can restore the fantasy. Instead she discovers that the wizard has fled, gangs of Dark Riders are terrorizing her people, and the age-old government is teetering on collapse. To save both the kingdom and herself, Othyli must face the horrors of her past, learn to trust both rouges and rebels, and become the leader her realm so desperately needs. Behold, the Dragon Queen comes.
Reality was overwhelming every one of her illusions. Frantic to preserve them, Othyli reenters her estranged kingdom disguised as a traveling mercenary, to find the one wizard who can restore the fantasy. Instead she discovers that the wizard has fled, gangs of Dark Riders are terrorizing her people, and the age-old government is teetering on collapse. To save both the kingdom and herself, Othyli must face the horrors of her past, learn to trust both rouges and rebels, and become the leader her realm so desperately needs. Behold, the Dragon Queen comes.
SYNOPSIS (warning: contains spoilers)
The dragon is dead. The foreign tyrant who Sent the beast did not defeat her, did not defeat Cockaigne. Eleven long years in isolated captivity, but Queen Othyli is finally free. She is free to rejoin her people, her court, her kingdom; free to rule without messenger birds carrying every petition and reply; free to celebrate, marry, and enjoy being a respected and honored queen. The curse is finally over; she should be thrilled. She would be… if it were all not an utter lie.
Othyli lost her mother to fever when she was eight years old, her father in battle when she was barely sixteen. When she inherited the throne and the dragon descended, no one suspected that her sanity was the real treasure under siege, never imagined that the dragon had been sent by the Queen herself to protect Cockaigne -- from her. Now Othyli must secure another dragon before anyone learns the truth.
Disguised as a traveling mercenary, with fighting skills eleven years honed, Othyli reenters her estranged kingdom to find the one wizard who can restore her sanctuary. Yet just hours into her quest, Othyli discovers what the message scrolls never revealed. Cockaigne is under attack, and the wizard has fled; her people are in danger, and the government is collapsing. There is a plague of Dark Riders, proliferating bands of savage killers who violently force their victims to either join them or die. Across the country, wizards have disappeared without a trace; after more than a decade of peace, and a disbanded army, the realm lies unprotected as the Dark tide grows.
Faced with this awful reality, Othyli confronts an enemy that defies precedent; and the Riders are not the only threat. Under the strain of the attacks, traditional governance is crumbling and conspirators grasp for political control. Against the Riders and dissenters stands only the rumor of an underground Resistance, a network of courageous rebels as elusive as ghosts. Determined to save her kingdom, Othyli searches for answers, her wizard, and the mythic rebel leader.
Under the cloak of her alias, Othyli experiences her country in a way previous monarchs never could. She realizes that even if Cockaigne regains its absent Queen, the monarchy cannot resume unchanged. Othyli's probing also reveals the true, malignant nature of the Rider threat. Arbitrary as the attacks first appear, the brutality flows methodically from clan territories to the north. In those icy mountains, a savior has come, and this Seer avers that the gods are angry, that he has been sent with the path to save all people from destruction. Conversion to his doctrine is the only way to be spared in the Cleansing that comes. The Dark Riders are devoted apostles of this urgent mandate, and they pursue success at any cost.
Overwhelmed by the prospect of a faith-fueled war while her government splinters from within, Othyli's only hope is to find a solution not even the Seer can presage. As she searches for insight, inadvertent actions sow seeds of lasting change: Rider victims are rescued, enemies revealed, allies united, and friendships forged.
When unforeseen hazard thwarts her progress, Othyli is obliged to accept the dubious aid of a profligate puppeteer. Unbeknownst to Othyli, the insouciant entertainer also hunts a missing wizard, and hides secrets and scars that rival Othyli's own. Yet his irritating amity might just be the catalyst for her success.
As tales of her unintended heroics emerge, a new legend is born. However, to perform the deeds success requires, Othyli must finally face both the horrors of her past and the demons in her present. She must become the leader Cockaigne so desperately needs. The Dragon Queen must show everyone, including herself, that there is a road to both restoration and peace, that the legend is not a lie.
Othyli lost her mother to fever when she was eight years old, her father in battle when she was barely sixteen. When she inherited the throne and the dragon descended, no one suspected that her sanity was the real treasure under siege, never imagined that the dragon had been sent by the Queen herself to protect Cockaigne -- from her. Now Othyli must secure another dragon before anyone learns the truth.
Disguised as a traveling mercenary, with fighting skills eleven years honed, Othyli reenters her estranged kingdom to find the one wizard who can restore her sanctuary. Yet just hours into her quest, Othyli discovers what the message scrolls never revealed. Cockaigne is under attack, and the wizard has fled; her people are in danger, and the government is collapsing. There is a plague of Dark Riders, proliferating bands of savage killers who violently force their victims to either join them or die. Across the country, wizards have disappeared without a trace; after more than a decade of peace, and a disbanded army, the realm lies unprotected as the Dark tide grows.
Faced with this awful reality, Othyli confronts an enemy that defies precedent; and the Riders are not the only threat. Under the strain of the attacks, traditional governance is crumbling and conspirators grasp for political control. Against the Riders and dissenters stands only the rumor of an underground Resistance, a network of courageous rebels as elusive as ghosts. Determined to save her kingdom, Othyli searches for answers, her wizard, and the mythic rebel leader.
Under the cloak of her alias, Othyli experiences her country in a way previous monarchs never could. She realizes that even if Cockaigne regains its absent Queen, the monarchy cannot resume unchanged. Othyli's probing also reveals the true, malignant nature of the Rider threat. Arbitrary as the attacks first appear, the brutality flows methodically from clan territories to the north. In those icy mountains, a savior has come, and this Seer avers that the gods are angry, that he has been sent with the path to save all people from destruction. Conversion to his doctrine is the only way to be spared in the Cleansing that comes. The Dark Riders are devoted apostles of this urgent mandate, and they pursue success at any cost.
Overwhelmed by the prospect of a faith-fueled war while her government splinters from within, Othyli's only hope is to find a solution not even the Seer can presage. As she searches for insight, inadvertent actions sow seeds of lasting change: Rider victims are rescued, enemies revealed, allies united, and friendships forged.
When unforeseen hazard thwarts her progress, Othyli is obliged to accept the dubious aid of a profligate puppeteer. Unbeknownst to Othyli, the insouciant entertainer also hunts a missing wizard, and hides secrets and scars that rival Othyli's own. Yet his irritating amity might just be the catalyst for her success.
As tales of her unintended heroics emerge, a new legend is born. However, to perform the deeds success requires, Othyli must finally face both the horrors of her past and the demons in her present. She must become the leader Cockaigne so desperately needs. The Dragon Queen must show everyone, including herself, that there is a road to both restoration and peace, that the legend is not a lie.
(a work in progress )
c Dawn Revett 2011
