BOOK ONE

Behold, The Horde

PROLOGUE

   Two children ran laughing and playing throughout the courtyard of Palace Eternia. The boy and girl were playing the time-honored game of hide-n-seek. Their antics eventually brought them to the low stonewall overlooking the countryside.

   The pair stopped the game abruptly, awed by the sight laid bare before their young eyes. The war had been over for nearly five years, but the scars were still painfully evident.

   The mother of the errant children emerged from a stand of tress and hurried to the kids. "Come back to the park. You shouldn't be so close to the outer wall."

   Ever inquisitive, the boy asked, "but why have a low stone wall here if you can't look out at the landscape?"

   "The land was damaged. Some very bad people damaged it years ago," the mother replied quickly, looking anxiously about for someone. "Come. We must go before…"

   "No," a feminine voice barked sternly from a shadowed grove. "It's all right," the voice continued gently. "It's been a long time since I heard the sounds of laughter in this park." A slim hand rose into the light and waved the trio over. "Bring them here."

   Apprehensive, the mother took her children to stand before the shadowed figure.

   "What are your names?"

   "I'm Darnon," the boy responded immediately. "This is my sister, Lisil."

   "She doesn't talk much," the shadows observed.

   "No," Darnon agreed, "she's always quiet. We think there may be something wrong with her."

   "Yes," the woman shrouded in darkness agreed. "Or something very right." The woman leaned forward enough for the light to illuminate her features. "The quiet ones are the ones who will change the universe, Darnon. The loud ones simply take all the credit."

   Kodec Ugnor, former Sorceress of Grayskull, former member of the original Council of Elders, looked the trio over with a critical eye. Though still quite youthful because the immortality bestowed upon her by Grayskull was still with her, the eyes, and the creases at their corners, betrayed the thousands of years of life experiences.

   "Are you really a member of the Council of Elders?" Darnon asked, not really convinced this was the woman of legend.

   Kodec smiled sadly. "Yes. This medallion I wear signifies that. So, either I am one of the Elders, or I am in a lot of trouble. Or both." Removing the star-shaped medallion measuring two inches in diameter hung on a gold chain, the Elder motioned the boy forward. "For the next five minutes you are now an Elder. You may give one command. Anything you want. Make it a good one." Kodec leaned back expectantly, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

   Darnon fingered the starburst medallion with its inlaid sapphire, thinking hard. "Tell me a story," he blurted suddenly.

   The mother scolded him harshly, but Kodec blunted it, saying, "No, it's all right. He did far better with that question than I did. So, Darnon, what kind of a story would you like to hear?"

  Lisil whispered quickly into her brother's ear, but he dismissed it immediately. "I want a story about great battles, and wars, and heroes, and villains."

   Smile still gracing her lips, Kodec inquired, "And what would your sister like?"

  Darnon hesitated briefly, answering, "Nothing." That comment earned him a slap on the arm from Lisil. "She wants to hear a true story."

   Kodec nodded. "Then I shall give you both what you want. A story of great battles. Of soldiers of Light and armies of Darkness. I will tell you about the places where they lived, and loved, and fought, and died." She pointed to Lisil. "A true story"

   The Elder leaned forward again and began her narration. "It began with the Earthers ten of their years ago. They are the quiet ones I spoke to you of earlier. They live in a relatively uninteresting part of the galaxy. A place of no strategic importance to the Horde so they didn't bother much with it. The Elders knew this, and knew also it was the perfect place to set events into motion that would spell doom for the Evil Horde…"