Star of Gazle - H.Young (sight word books TXT) 📗

Prologue

It was the kind of dead silence that comes after a bloody battle, with the occasional moans of the dying and the thick smell of death that permeated the air. One flag hung ragged, ripped and blood splattered, it had gold trim with a setting sun against a blood red field, belonging to the once proud race of the Gazle desert, they were called the Bazle. The other flag was upright and hung with victory. It was on a green and silver field with a silver crown set in the middle surrounded by two tall evergreen trees and swords on top and bottom. This flag belongs to the wonderful race of Denmarians who owned the land of Denmare where the Gazle desert is located. This battle will soon be known as the “Gathering of Slaves.”
Out on the bloody field; one woman who knew that she didn’t have long to live looked desperately for her beloved husband. She chose him before her people and knew that this was all her fault. The smelly stench that came from her abdomen told her that she didn’t have much time. She wouldn’t be able to heal the gash even if she had the strength to do so. She heard a faint cough and turned to it and seeing her beloved Dmitri in the sand, stained red with his blood. He looked at her and smiled painfully.
“I guess we lost, my Queen.” He whispered.
She dragged herself toward him and saw that he was dying from the slash in his side, “I’m so sorry. This is my fault.” She choked.
Dmitri placed a hand on her cheek, “No it isn’t Zenna. Our people will find a way to recover.” He closed his eyes and took his last breath.
“I think not. That’s the reason I set the curse in place.” A clear voice rang above them. Ephraim looked down at them with disgust and triumph.
“Ephraim, you monster! You did all this just to hurt me?” Zenna cried and her vision was starting to fade.
“Yes I did Zenna. If only you had made the right choice and picked me all of this could have been avoided. I did love you.”
“You only loved my power and beauty.”
“You might be right about that,” he stated as he inspected his fingernails, “but that doesn’t matter anymore. Before you die I have a special curse just for you.” He reached down quick as a weasel and yanked off the hope and power of her people. The Star of Gazle. “You will not be joining your beloved Dmitri just yet. I will seal your soul and all of your descendants into the star, to be eternally separated from the ones you love.” He laughed evilly.
“No,” she breathed as her vision turned black.

“Presenting the Sorcerer Ephraim Lord of Calisbury.” The herald announced to King Jacob and Queen Nora in the capital of Darji, waiting to hear the news of the battle.
“You’re Majesties.” Ephraim bowed low, “I have just returned from the battle field and would like to present a gift I found there.” Ephraim pulled from his satin pocket the Star of Gazle. It was a silver eight-pointed star with every second point longer. In the center was a beautiful white diamond with a small swirl of light purple. Then he went on to explain all that had happened.
“Oh Jacob it was so beautiful.” Queen Nora whispered to her husband that night.
“Would you like to have it for our anniversary?” The King asked. The queen nodded and hugged him. From then on the Star of Gazle was passed down the Denmarian royal line to the crown prince to give to the queen of his heart. Soon the Star of Gazle lost that title and soon became known as the King’s Heart.


The one to break the curse of the evil sorcerer Ephraim is the descendant of the Queen Zenna, the last Queen of the Bazle. The one will ride the desert and hold the Star of Gazle, stolen decades ago. The curse shall not affect the descendant who will be born noble from both races.

Chapter One: 300 years later

“Get them!” A thunderous voice yelled at the two female figures running ahead of him. Sir Charles of Gadsdale had been looking for the older one, Lana, for almost sixteen years and he wasn’t going to let her get away. The King had personally asked Charles to do this and Charles would do whatever it took to catch her. He didn’t know who the little one was but she wasn’t his concern.
Kally had never been this afraid in her fourteen years of life as she ran through the dark, dank alleys of Eagles Peak like a rat through a maze. All she knew was that her mother, Riana, had been acting weird in town ever since a very old woman called Riana, “Lana.” in public and that had been three days ago on Kally’s birthday. Kally almost collapsed when she saw the horses in view. Desert Dancer, her beautiful palomino mare, and Black Mage, Riana’s black stallion, jerked their heads up in surprise.
“Untie yourselves and hurry!” Riana yelled as Kally saw her mother’s rosemary horse Talent. The horses yanked their reins loose and trotted through the small crowd of people.
“Curse it! They have horses!” Charles deafening voice yelled in outrage as Riana and Kylie swung unto the still moving horses.
“Run!” Riana yelled and they jumped into a gallop.
“After them!” Charles turned quickly and ran to the stables with his men at his heels.
“Mother? What’s going on?” Kally yelled over the hoof beats.
“I’m so sorry Kally! I didn’t think that they would still be after me all these years.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain later but right now we have to pack.”
“Pack?”
“Yes, we’re leaving. It’s too dangerous to stay now.” They reached the houses thirty minutes later and the horses stopped and relaxed but they knew that they couldn’t relax for long, “Run and get Time Bandit.”
Kally rushed toward the small lean-to that the horses used for a shelter and hoped that he would be there. All three horses had come to them from running away from their previous owners or from the wild. The horses could come and go as they pleased but when either Kally or Riana called them they would come running. Riana was a horse whisperer, which meant that she could talk and heal horses. Kally saw Bandit a little ways from the lean-to grazing, “Bandit! Come!” The painted gelding lifted his head and trotted toward her. Kally led him to the other horses and found two saddles bags waiting for her. She tied to two bags to one side of Bandit as her mother came out and tied the other two bags to the other side. Then they both mounted and the horse took off at a gallop with Bandit following.
Kally looked over at her mother and saw her emerald amulet swinging free mixing with Riana’s blonde hair. Kally also noticed that Riana’s pale skin was death white. ‘Why are those people chasing us? And why is mother so scared? She’s the one with the pale skin and blond hair, they shouldn’t be chasing her.’

the amulet glinted in the setting sun, ‘It must have fallen out when she was packing . . . She never takes it off not even when she bathes.’

Kally looked at her tanned hands mixed in with Dancer’s milky white mane. Kally always felt different from everyone and was even sometimes teased because of her olive brown skin and midnight black hair. Another thing that Kally wished she could change was her Talent. Her Talent was that she had the power to heal people (and not very well) and do other things but the only spell she knew was to hold a fireball in her palm. She also had a little bit of a Seeing Talent, which was how she could see the color of the people who had magic.
“Mother?” Kally called to Riana, “Are we ever coming back?”
Riana looked at her darling daughter and regretted not telling her the truth, “No honey. We can’t go back. Ever.” Then Riana concentrated on healing the horses’ exhaustion to make them stay at the same pace. Riana would die first before they got Kally.
Kally saw that her mother used her magic to heal the horses and she yelled over to her, “Mother, maybe I could heal you so you won’t get tired as fast?” Riana nodded and Kally reached inside herself and found her lilac colored Talent. She then stretched it towards she mother and healed her exhaustion. After about three hours they finally stopped to rest the horses.

“Sir, the scouts have picked up their trail, should we follow?” The 2nd in command of the King’s Knights asked. Sir Charles nodded, “and what of the house?” he added.
Charles looked at the small house with hard hazel eyes and sighed, knowing what needed to be done, “Burn it and then return to Darji and tell the King that we’ll be there soon with the runaway.”
“Yes sir.” The 2nd in command turned his horse and gave order to the rest of the group. Half the group left with Charles to follow the runaway slave.

“Why did we have to run away from those men?” Kally finally asked as they rested. The hot sun had set and they where resting for the night.
“Kally . . . I really don’t know how to explain this to you . . .” Riana couldn’t think of a way to explain as she fingered her amulet and then it came to her, “But I can show you.” She took off her amulet that she had worn for fifteen years.
Kally couldn’t believe what was happening. Her mother started changing color! Riana’s beautiful blonde locks turn a silken black and her pale skin turned to a shade a little darker than Kally’s. “W-w-what?”
“I’m sorry Kally. That I didn’t tell you before when I should have.” Riana took a deep breath, “Before you where born I was sold to the King of Denmare to work at his royal stables but I refused to be sold so I ran away.”
“S-sold?”
“Yes, sold. Kally…before you were born I had been a slave my whole life. I’m a Bazle born in slavery but I’m hoping that I can seek refuge in the Gazle Desert, if not there then we‘ll go to Sandra.” Riana said changing the subject as she put her amulet back on and she changed back, “The amulet must be losing its power.” She whispered to herself.
“Gazle Desert?” Kally didn’t know where that was.
“The Gazle Desert is where the hiding Bazle dwell,” Riana laid down next to her daughter as she closed her eyes she murmured, “but it’s strange.”
“What’s strange?” Kally was getting tired.
“As far as I can remember Denmare had taken Bazle as slaves. There’s not even a declaration that says that you can have them as slaves. If you ask why, no one would know why. As history used to state, we used to live in harmony with them. I don’t know why we don’t now.” Kally nodded, half listening as she drifted off to sleep.


Kally felt someone tap her shoulder and she screamed and opened her eyes. Her scream stopped short when she saw that Riana covered Kally’s mouth and signaled her to be quiet. Riana looked drained but she pointed to the already saddled horses. Kally got up quietly and heard at a