James McCrae is sixteen and through the recent loss of his father comes to learn that his family heritage is more than he could have ever imagined. Needing a personal item for a school show and tell session James’ mother decides to give him a box containing and old, mysterious map his father had left to him. James and his friend Merlin discover that the directions on the map were written over a thousand years ago by his descendant and talk of a treacherous journey he must make to the highest mountain in the world to find a portal to another realm. The spectacular world of Kùl where wizards once ruled over demons. What James doesn’t know is that a more sinister force is guiding another, who will stop at nothing to make sure he fails in his quest. A story of adventure, magic, mystery and friendship where a young boy finds that reaching the end of his quest, is only the beginning…
Targeted Age Group:: 12-18
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I grew up reading fantastic stories that helped me to escape. I fell in love with HG Wells, Jules Verne, Tolkien, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe. Later I found Allan Dean Foster, Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurst etc could take me to amazing places. I was working a boring office job at the time and started coming up with ideas for my own stories. I wrote the prologue to 'Wizards' one afternoon without any idea of where this story would go. I just wrote and let the story unfold and I loved working this way, not knowing where it was going to end.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
Some are based on people I knew and most of the names are hybrids of friends and family (which they don't know yet!). James is a product of me and other aspects I added to make him more interesting. I wanted him to be vulnerable at heart but also to possess certain strengths, some that he would discover later as the story unfolded and others that will be revealed in books 2 and 3. I created other characters as I needed to and tried to make them beneficial to the story if that makes sense, to move it along. Apart from James and Merlin, most of the other characters in book 1 are fillers that serve to carry the story forward. It is really in book 2 that not only James and Merlin begin to take shape, but also the other descendants and the bad guys take more centre stage.
Book Sample
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
FINAL PREPARATION
Later that day, just as the sun was disappearing behind the jagged, mountainous landscape, Jestan called a final meeting. He talked about tomorrow’s plan and reaffirmed what each member of the crew would be doing. ‘We will be making an early start, so please make sure you do not stay up too late tonight.’ He stated. ‘The climb to Intermediate Base Camp will take us several hours and we will go slowly so that we can acclimatise. We will stay there overnight and return here to Base Camp the next day. Here, we will spend another night, then begin our second climb to Advance Base Camp. Our climb tomorrow will take us from where we are at nearly seventeen thousand feet, to around twenty thousand feet. This is a big difference so we must make sure we travel slowly. This is more for James’ sake as this is his first climb.’ People turned to look at James and smiled. He initially thought going slower than usual would annoy them, yet they didn’t seem to mind. Again, he wondered why they were all doing this and how much they really knew about his quest. Given Jetsan and Tenzing had helped his father reach the summit surely, they would know all about it, yet no-one had said anything. James felt slightly uneasy and decided to approach Quan to find out more.
He was sitting by himself reading when James approached. He felt a dryness in his throat and wondered why he was so nervous about bringing this up with his friend? After all, Quan knew all about his objective, having experienced everything over the last few months and still having a son who was missing. As he sat down, Quan stopped reading and turned his head. ‘I can sense that you have something you need to ask me, my friend,’ he said. James nodded. ‘Quan, I’ve been wondering, all these people helping me, do they know why I’m doing this?’ Quan paused thoughtfully for some time before he turned to James. ‘They all know James, believe me. And they are doing this knowing it is for a cause much bigger than any of us.’ Quan stared straight ahead. James noticed his friend had become more sombre and waited until he spoke again. ‘James, you must understand, everyone who is going with you has a special reason to be here.’ He put his hand on James’ shoulder, which made him feel as though Quan was telling him something significant. ‘It is probably for the best that you know this now. Apart from Jetsan and the two Sherpas, everyone else, like you and I,’ he paused, ‘are descendants.’
James sat up. He was completely shocked by this last sentence. Quan noticed his reaction. ‘Please do not be alarmed. Like me and your father, each of them has been given a map, much like yours and they have also passed it on to their children. Your father gave his to you, I gave mine to Ming-Li, and they have given theirs, knowing that it was time for them to make this journey. We have all known that it was our successors that must make this dangerous trip to the top of the mountain and that it is our children that must pass through to Kùl. We have all prepared ourselves for this as have our descendants, and they are aware of what they must do.’ Quan paused for a moment while James was trying to take in all that he had heard. His mind was spinning. Quan continued. ‘You, my friend, are the heir to the eldest of the Wizards, and it is you that must reach the cave first in order to summon the remaining descendants. The people who are taking you know that you must reach the top successfully, otherwise the true destiny of their children will not come to pass.’ James sat and stared into nothingness for some time. Quan, knowing how much of an impact that this must have had on his friend, decided to give him all the time that he needed to process the information. After all, it wasn’t every day you discovered that you were responsible for the destiny of several generations of Wizards and making your way to a cave at the top of the highest mountain in the world, was going to mean the difference between realising that destiny or failing. ‘Why me?’ James asked in a subdued voice. Quan looked on him with deep concern. ‘This is a question we have all been asking ourselves many times. It is difficult to understand why this has been given to us, but more so for you, who are the last in a long line. It is up to us to fulfill this destiny, to complete this difficult task. But we all know what must be done and we are confident that you can do it, James. This is why you must put all your trust in those who are going with you and why you must understand, they will do whatever it takes to help you succeed. They have worked so hard for many years to get to where they are now. And this has all been to make sure that your climb, and their children’s is successful’.
A long pause followed and as James was trying to take it all in, he noticed there were people coming out of the tent and wandering over to where he and Quan were sitting. It was his group and one by one, they joined him. They didn’t say anything, but he could tell that they somehow knew that Quan was revealing the truth about who they all were. Finally, all six of them were gathered with James in the middle. He looked at each in turn and felt a deep connection. Words were completely unnecessary as their eyes spoke to him far more profoundly than their voices could. It was at that moment that James understood the importance of this climb, but more importantly, the reason why the people who were guiding him would do anything to make sure he was successful. They were already risking their lives, yet knowing the connection they all shared, made it even more profound. James decided, then and there that he would trust himself to them. Although they had only just met, he realised that they had gone through much of what he had, and even more so, what his father had. It was James’ generation that would have to make this climb, but their parents were the ones that knew this and had to not only make sure that their children were ready, but also that they were prepared to let them go. Without realising it, James had come to understand the sacrifice each of them must have made just to be here. Not only for themselves, but as Quan had explained, for a cause far greater. James stood and presented himself to the group. With a look of determination on his face, he addressed them. ‘I know I’m only young, and I don’t have any climbing experience, but I know how important this journey is and why you are all here. I promise that I will do whatever I have to, to reach the cave and bring the other descendants and cross over into Kùl.’ They all looked on and smiled and it was Quan who broke the silence, grabbing James and throwing his arms around him. ‘I know you will do it, my friend.’
Dinner that night was less animated than the one before and James spent most of the time chatting to Merlin. He had told him what he had discovered about the group he was climbing with, and Merlin was quite shocked. He, like James, felt a sense of comfort knowing that they all had strong reasons to be here to make sure James was kept safe. Merlin, despite his detachment from the actual journey, had worried a lot about his friend. During training, he had tried to make sure that James was as ready as he could be, yet being here now, on the eve of his adventure, Merlin was feeling more than ever, that he wished he was going too. At one point during the evening, James appeared to be in deep thought about something and Merlin noticed. ‘What’s the matter?’ he asked. James sat and looked down. ‘There’s something I’ve been thinking about. If I get to the top and the others follow, what about Ming-Li? He’s still missing so why are we doing this? Doesn’t it seem strange? The map says only when all the descendants are at the cave, will the door open. If Ming-Li isn’t there, surely it won’t happen. What’s the point in us all going through this if he doesn’t turn up and the door stays closed?’ This confused Merlin as well. ‘I don’t know James. It does seem odd, but maybe they know something we don’t. Otherwise, why are you going?’ After dinner, the group retired to their tent and made last minute preparations for the following mornings’ climb. James, Merlin, and Quan all lay in their beds making small talk. Despite knowing that it wasn’t going to be long before they’d be saying their goodbyes, they somehow managed to smile and joke. It was comforting to James to have them here and he wondered what he would have done if they hadn’t come along. Merlin, who hadn’t done anything remotely as adventurous as this, was a tower of strength and just having him alongside made all the difference.
James lay pondering the revelations of the day and he turned to see if Quan was still awake. ‘Quan,’ he whispered. He turned over. ‘Yes, my friend, what is it?’ James sat up and contemplated what he was about to ask. ‘There’s something I don’t really understand. If the thousand years are now up, and the people coming tomorrow are the parents of the descendants who have to climb as well, why don’t their children come up with me? Surely we could all enter the cave at the same time.’ Quan sat up. ‘James,’ he began. ‘You are the one who must reach the cave first. You are the one who must obtain the key and you are the one who will summon the others. This is the legend, and we have understood this to mean that the other descendants cannot enter with you. They must wait until they are summoned. It is not for us to question this, and we have thought about sending you all together, but we must not make any mistakes. So, we all decided to bring you first, the rest will follow.’ There seemed a strange logic to this, although James did still think it would have been a much better idea for them all to go up together and save the time waiting for them. After all, it wasn’t an easy thing to reach the top of Mount Everest, even if they had trained as much as he had. There were so many things that could go wrong and now that they would all have to follow, it just made it a longer process. Quan could see that James had something else on his mind. ‘I can see you have another question for me. What is it?’ James paused and despite his confusion, he felt it was better to be honest and find out. ‘I’ve been thinking, if the map says we all have to be there to open the door, how will that happen if Ming-Li is still missing?’ Quan’s expression changed and he looked more thoughtful. This question must have played in his mind as much as James’, probably more as it was his son. ‘I too have pondered this question many times. But we all feel that the time is right now for you to go. I have had a deep feeling that Ming-Li will fulfil his destiny. I cannot explain this to you, it is just something I have known. It has been very difficult for me to try and concentrate since his disappearance, but there is so much at stake here and even though it is my son that is missing, we must continue. I hope that makes sense James.’ He nodded and decided not to question things anymore. He was here now and that wasn’t going to change so he might as well accept it. He thanked Quan and lay down again, knowing that he had to get as much sleep as possible so that he was fully prepared for the climb tomorrow. As the night closed in, the silence grew and before long, they were all fast asleep.
Links to Purchase Print Books
Buy The Wizards of Kùl Print Edition at Amazon
Links to Purchase eBooks
Link To Buy The Wizards of Kùl On Amazon
Have you read this book? Tell us in the comments how you liked it!
Leave a Reply