The Orb of Kandra

Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the epic fantasy series THE SORCERER’S RING, comprising seventeen books; of the #1 bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, comprising twelve books; of the #1 bestselling series THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising three books; of the epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS, comprising six books; of the epic fantasy series OF CROWNS AND GLORY, comprising eight books; of the epic fantasy series A THRONE FOR SISTERS, comprising eight books; of the new science fiction series THE INVASION CHRONICLES, comprising four books; and of the new fantasy series OLIVER BLUE AND THE SCHOOL FOR SEERS, comprising three books (and counting). Morgan’s books are available in audio and print editions, and translations are available in over 25 languages.

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“If you thought that there was no reason left for living after the end of THE SORCERER’S RING series, you were wrong. In RISE OF THE DRAGONS Morgan Rice has come up with what promises to be another brilliant series, immersing us in a fantasy of trolls and dragons, of valor, honor, courage, magic and faith in your destiny. Morgan has managed again to produce a strong set of characters that make us cheer for them on every page.…Recommended for the permanent library of all readers that love a well-written fantasy.”

“An action packed fantasy sure to please fans of Morgan Rice’s previous novels, along with fans of works such as THE INHERITANCE CYCLE by Christopher Paolini…. Fans of Young Adult Fiction will devour this latest work by Rice and beg for more.”

“A spirited fantasy that weaves elements of mystery and intrigue into its story line. A Quest of Heroes is all about the making of courage and about realizing a life purpose that leads to growth, maturity, and excellence….For those seeking meaty fantasy adventures, the protagonists, devices, and action provide a vigorous set of encounters that focus well on Thor's evolution from a dreamy child to a young adult facing impossible odds for survival….Only the beginning of what promises to be an epic young adult series.”

“THE SORCERER’S RING has all the ingredients for an instant success: plots, counterplots, mystery, valiant knights, and blossoming relationships replete with broken hearts, deception and betrayal. It will keep you entertained for hours, and will satisfy all ages. Recommended for the permanent library of all fantasy readers.”

“In this action-packed first book in the epic fantasy Sorcerer's Ring series (which is currently 14 books strong), Rice introduces readers to 14-year-old Thorgrin "Thor" McLeod, whose dream is to join the Silver Legion, the elite knights who serve the king…. Rice's writing is solid and the premise intriguing.”

OLIVER BLUE AND THE SCHOOL FOR SEERS

THE MAGIC FACTORY (Book #1)

THE ORB OF KANDRA (Book #2)

THE OBSIDIANS (Book #3)

THE INVASION CHRONICLES

TRANSMISSION (Book #1)

ARRIVAL (Book #2)

ASCENT (Book #3)

RETURN (Book #4)

THE WAY OF STEEL

ONLY THE WORTHY (Book #1)

ONLY THE VALIANT (Book #2)

ONLY THE DESTINED (Book #3)

A THRONE FOR SISTERS

A THRONE FOR SISTERS (Book #1)

A COURT FOR THIEVES (Book #2)

A SONG FOR ORPHANS (Book #3)

A DIRGE FOR PRINCES (Book #4)

A JEWEL FOR ROYALS (BOOK #5)

A KISS FOR QUEENS (BOOK #6)

A CROWN FOR ASSASSINS (Book #7)

A CLASP FOR HEIRS (Book #8)

OF CROWNS AND GLORY

SLAVE, WARRIOR, QUEEN (Book #1)

ROGUE, PRISONER, PRINCESS (Book #2)

KNIGHT, HEIR, PRINCE (Book #3)

REBEL, PAWN, KING (Book #4)

SOLDIER, BROTHER, SORCERER (Book #5)

HERO, TRAITOR, DAUGHTER (Book #6)

RULER, RIVAL, EXILE (Book #7)

VICTOR, VANQUISHED, SON (Book #8)

KINGS AND SORCERERS

RISE OF THE DRAGONS (Book #1)

RISE OF THE VALIANT (Book #2)

THE WEIGHT OF HONOR (Book #3)

A FORGE OF VALOR (Book #4)

A REALM OF SHADOWS (Book #5)

NIGHT OF THE BOLD (Book #6)

THE SORCERER’S RING

A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1)

A MARCH OF KINGS (Book #2)

A FATE OF DRAGONS (Book #3)

A CRY OF HONOR (Book #4)

A VOW OF GLORY (Book #5)

A CHARGE OF VALOR (Book #6)

A RITE OF SWORDS (Book #7)

A GRANT OF ARMS (Book #8)

A SKY OF SPELLS (Book #9)

A SEA OF SHIELDS (Book #10)

A REIGN OF STEEL (Book #11)

A LAND OF FIRE (Book #12)

A RULE OF QUEENS (Book #13)

AN OATH OF BROTHERS (Book #14)

A DREAM OF MORTALS (Book #15)

A JOUST OF KNIGHTS (Book #16)

THE GIFT OF BATTLE (Book #17)

THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY

ARENA ONE: SLAVERSUNNERS (Book #1)

ARENA TWO (Book #2)

ARENA THREE (Book #3)

VAMPIRE, FALLEN

BEFORE DAWN (Book #1)

THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS

TURNED (Book #1)

LOVED (Book #2)

BETRAYED (Book #3)

DESTINED (Book #4)

DESIRED (Book #5)

BETROTHED (Book #6)

VOWED (Book #7)

FOUND (Book #8)

RESURRECTED (Book #9)

CRAVED (Book #10)

FATED (Book #11)

OBSESSED (Book #12)

Did you know that I've written multiple series? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!

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Copyright © 2018 by Morgan Rice. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author.  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Jacket image Copyright  DreamcatcherDiana, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

CHAPTER ONE

Oliver Blue was standing in a cupboard and he didn’t know why. His whole body felt peculiar, like a strange sensation was passing through him. His head was pounding.

He glanced about, disoriented, trying to piece together fragments of memory. He’d come here through a swirling vortex. A wormhole. Yes! He remembered now. Professor Amethyst had created a wormhole and sent Oliver through it. But why?

He turned, looking for the wormhole he’d traveled through, to see if it might give him a clue as to how he’d ended up here. But it was no longer there.

He suddenly felt the cold sensation of metal on his chest and pulled out an amulet. Professor Amethyst had given it to him, he recollected. What was it he had told him? That when the metal became hot it meant there was a chance to get back to the School for Seers? That was it.

Right now, it was icy cold. That meant the route back to the School for Seers was gone.

A huge swell of sadness overcame Oliver as he remembered the school he’d left behind. But why he’d left it in the first place, Oliver could not recall. Anxiety took hold of him as he tried to piece it all together, to remember where he had landed. And why. Where was he? What year was it?

And then, slowly, it came back to him: Armando.

He had come back to the present day to save Armando Illstrom.

He looked around him with sudden urgency. Armando was about to be killed. Every second counted.

Oliver burst out of the cupboard and into the corridors of what he immediately recognized was a factory.

Armando’s factory. Sure enough, there was a sign: Illstrom’s Inventions.

He ran toward the factory forecourt. He reached the end of the corridor and tipped his head around the corner. Instead of Armando’s fake internal corridors, the factory had an open plan and was bustling with activity, filled with workers wearing the old-style blue overalls that Oliver currently wore.

The whole place looked clean and well maintained. Flying robotic creatures whizzed through the air. Sparks flew from the welders of workers as they fixed up the joints of vast, giant machines. Metallic birds flew around in the rafters, where the windows were no longer boarded up.

Everything had changed. Oliver had a moment of pride. Clearly, his actions back in 1944 had altered the present day. Thanks to him, Illstrom’s Inventions was up and running.

But not for long.

Not if he didn’t save Armando in time.

Through the skylights, Oliver saw dark storm clouds. Rain began to hammer on the glass. Then a sudden flash of lightning forked across the sky, followed swiftly by a huge boom of thunder.

The lights in the factory began to flicker. Then they went out completely. With a whirring sound, all the machines powered down.

The backup generators kicked in and emergency lights flickered on around the factory, making the whole place glow ominously red.

Oliver now realized when he’d come back to. It was the day of the big storm. The day the mayor had closed all the schools and businesses in town. The day he’d hidden in a trash can to escape Chris and his bullying friends. The day he’d met Armando.

Through the gloomy red lights, Oliver caught sight of Armando. His Armando. Not the young man from 1944, but his elderly hero.

His heart soared. But a moment later it fell again. Armando would not remember him. They had not even met. All those precious memories of their time together would now be gone from Armando’s mind.

“I guess we should call it a day!” Armando called out to his workers. “Looks like the storm is hitting earlier than the mayor said. The bus will take you all home.”

As the workers headed for the door, Oliver caught sight of something peculiar. Something blue and shimmery.

He instantly recognized the unique shade of blue. It was the color of a rogue seer’s eyes. And that could only mean one thing. Lucas, the evil rogue seer, was here.

Oliver searched through the gloom. A sudden bolt of lightning illuminated the whole place. Oliver saw a silhouette streak through the shadows of the factory.

He gasped and his blood ran cold. It was Lucas. He was following Armando.

Thunder boomed. Oliver leapt into action, heading in the direction of Armando and Lucas. He drew closer and closer to the evil rogue seer until they were running parallel.

With another sudden crash of lightning, the old man’s face snapped to the side. Oliver saw Lucas’s wizened face in all its glory. His evil blue gaze locked on Oliver and his eyes flashed disconcertingly.

“Oliver Blue,” he snarled.

Oliver gulped. His throat felt constricted. Coming face to face with the man who wanted him dead was terrifying. Paralyzing.

Just then, Horatio the dog leapt out of the darkness. He wove his body around Lucas’s ankles, making the old man stumble.

“That blasted dog!” Lucas yelled as he staggered to stay upright.

Oliver had never been so happy to see the old bloodhound. He immediately made use of the moment Horatio had given him, running in the direction that Armando had gone. He reached the corridor just in time to see Armando disappear into his office.

The sound of heavy footsteps came from behind. Oliver glanced over his shoulder just as a flash of lightning illuminated Lucas’s deranged features. Scrambling with terror, Oliver reached the door of Armando’s office and burst inside.

Armando’s office was in its usual chaotic state. There were several desks dotted about the place covered in stacks of paper. Computers from different eras. Shelves heaving with books.

And standing in the midst of it all was Armando himself.

He turned and looked at Oliver, perplexed. “Can I help you?”

Oliver stared back, wondering if Armando recognized him. He couldn’t tell. And there was no time to dwell on it. He had to find the threat.

Oliver looked about frantically. There was nothing amiss. No sign of a trap. Nothing to suggest Armando’s life was in imminent danger at all. He couldn’t help but second-guess himself. Was this whole trip back a mistake? Had he sacrificed his beloved school for no reason?

Suddenly, Lucas burst into the office. “The guards are coming, you little pest!”

He lunged for Oliver but Oliver jumped out of the way. He looked about frantically, searching for the threat. He didn’t have long to save Armando’s life. What could it be?

“Get back here!” Lucas snapped.

Armando jumped back as Oliver rushed past him, sliding under his desk and right out the other side. Lucas reached him but the wide desk provided a barrier. He lunged for Oliver, knocking into the desk over and over in his frantic attempts to get hold of him.

That’s when Oliver saw it. A coffee cup on the side of the desk was being sloshed all over the place from Lucas’s movements. And Armando was now reaching for it to stop it from spilling. But there was a strange shimmery glistening on its surface.

Poison!

Oliver jumped up onto the desk and kicked out. The coffee cup went flying from Armando’s hands. It smashed onto the ground, a puddle of brown liquid pooling from it.

“What is going on?” Armando exclaimed.

Lucas got hold of Oliver’s legs and pulled. Oliver fell, landing heavily against the desk.

“It’s POISON!” he tried to cry, but Lucas was covering his mouth with his hands.

Oliver thrashed at the old man, kicking out, trying to get free.

Just then guards barreled into the room.

“Take this boy away,” Lucas said.

Oliver bit down on his hand.

Lucas reared back and screamed out in pain. Oliver leapt from the desk and darted left and right in his attempts to evade the guards. But it was no use. They got hold of him, twisting his arms roughly behind his back. They started to shove him toward the door.

“Armando, please listen to me!” Oliver cried, digging his heels in. “Lucas is trying to kill you!”

Lucas was nursing his sore hand. He narrowed his eyes as Oliver was dragged to the door.

“Preposterous,” he sneered.

Just then, Oliver noticed a small mouse had scurried out from the shadows in the corner. It sniffed the spilled coffee on the floor.

“Look!” Oliver cried.

Armando turned his gaze to the mouse. It licked the coffee spill. Then in an instant, its whole body went stiff and rigid.

It fell to its side, dead.

Everyone froze. The guards stopped dragging Oliver.

They all turned to Armando.

Armando stared at Lucas, and slowly, his expression changed. It became pained. A look of betrayal.

“Lucas?” he asked, his voice heartbroken, disbelieving.

Lucas’s face flushed with shame.

Armando’s face hardened, and slowly, he pointed a finger at Lucas.

“Take him away,” he instructed the guards.

Immediately, the guards released Oliver and rounded on Lucas.

“This is madness!” Lucas screamed as they roughly pinned Lucas’s arms behind his back. “Armando! You’ll believe this scrawny little boy over me?”

Armando said nothing as the guards dragged Lucas away.

The old man’s face contorted with rage. He screamed, looking as deranged as Hitler had when Oliver had broken his bomb.

“This isn’t over, Oliver Blue!” he yelled. “I’ll get you one day!”

Then he was dragged through the door and disappeared from sight.

Oliver let out a deep breath of relief. He’d done it. He’d really done it. He’d saved Armando’s life.

He looked up at the old inventor, standing there in the chaos of his office looking shocked and stunned. For a long moment, they held one another’s gaze.

Then, finally, Armando smiled.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to see you again.”

CHAPTER TWO

Malcolm Malice took aim with his crossbow. He steadied himself. Then he let it fly.

It sliced through the air at lightning speed before smashing into the bull’s-eye. A perfect shot. Malcolm grinned.

“Great work, Malcolm,” Coach Royce said. “I’d expect no less from my star pupil.”

Filled with pride, Malcolm handed him back the crossbow and went to stand beside the rest of his classmates. They narrowed their jealous eyes at him.

“Star pupil,” someone mimicked.

There was a smattering of laughter.

Malcolm ignored their teasing. He had more important things to think about. He’d only been at Obsidian’s for a few months but already he’d leapfrogged kids who’d been here for years. He was a powerful seer. Atomic—the strongest kind, with a rare blend of cobalt and bromine.

So what if none of the other kids wanted to hang out with him? He’d been friendless before coming to Obsidian’s. It didn’t make much difference to Malcolm if it remained that way. He wasn’t here for friendship anyway. He was here to excel, to become the best seer he could possibly be, so that when the time came he could crush those Amethyst losers into dust.

Suddenly, he felt something smack against the back of his head. It stung and his hand instinctively went to it. When he took it away, he saw a dead bee in his palm.

Someone had used their powers on him. He turned sharply, glaring for the culprit. Candice was barely hiding her smirk.

Malcolm narrowed his eyes. “You did that.”

“It was just a bee sting,” she replied sweetly.

“I know it was you. You have a biological specialism. If anyone did it, it was you.”

Candice shrugged innocently.

Coach Royce clapped his hands loudly. “Malcolm Malice. Eyes to the front. Just because you can do this easily doesn’t mean you can mess around while your classmates try. Show some respect.”

Malcolm sucked his cheeks in. The injustice stung just as much as the bee had.

Malcolm tried to focus on his classmates as they took turns practicing their aim. It was a usual gloomy day at Obsidian’s, with a light fog hanging in the air, turning everything misty. The large playing field stretched all the way up to the imposing manor house that was Mistress Obsidian’s School for Seers.

Candice went up to take her shot. The arrow went flying over the top of the target and Malcolm couldn’t help but smile at her misfortune.

“This is exactly the sort of skill you need to perfect,” Coach Royce called out. “When it comes to fighting the Amethyst seers, it’s this kind of mastery that really knocks them for six. They’re so focused on their seer specialisms, they’ve forgotten all about good old-fashioned weaponry.”

The corners of Malcolm’s mouth tugged even further upward. Just the thought of kicking the sappy seers at Professor Amethyst’s school delighted him. He couldn’t wait until the day he was finally face-to-face with one of those losers. Then he’d really show them who was boss. Show them why Obsidian’s was the better school. Why it deserved to be the one and only school for seers.

Just then, Malcolm noticed some of the kids from the second year coming out onto the playing fields, hockey sticks in hand. He noticed Natasha Armstrong amongst them. She was in the private study sessions he’d been attending at the library, the ones for gifted students like him. Though at twelve he was the youngest there, the others were kind to him. Natasha especially. She didn’t tease him for being smart. And she shared the same hatred toward Professor Amethyst as he did.

Natasha looked over and waved. Pretty dimples appeared in her cheeks. Malcolm waved back, feeling his own cheeks growing warm.

Just then, Malcolm heard Candice’s velvety voice whisper in his ear. “Aw, look. Malcolm’s got a crush.”

Malcolm kept his gaze ahead and ignored her taunts. Candice was only being mean because he’d rebuffed her advances. Her spite came from a place of jealousy—that an older girl, one as beautiful and talented as Natasha Armstrong, could be interested in him.

As the other class began their hockey match, Malcolm’s gaze went up to the vast imposing Victorian manor house of Obsidian’s School, all the way to the turret at the top. He could just make out the dark figure of Mistress Obsidian standing at the window. She was looking down at her students. Then her gaze fixed on him.

He smiled to himself. He knew she was keeping tabs on him. She’d hand-picked him for a special mission. Tomorrow, he would have a meeting with Mistress Obsidian herself. Tomorrow, she’d tell him all the details of his special mission. Until then, he could tolerate the bullies and teasing. Because soon, he would be their hero. Soon, the name Malcolm Malice would be known to every seer in every timeline. He’d be in all the history books.

Soon, he would be known the universe over as the one who’d destroyed the School for Seers once and for all.

CHAPTER THREE

Relief coursed through Oliver’s body. Armando remembered him after all. Despite all his actions in the past changing this timeline, somehow his hero had not forgotten who he was.

“You… you remember me?” Oliver stammered.

Armando walked over to him. His gait was straighter, his chin tipped higher. He was better dressed, in dark slacks and a shirt that gave off an air of self-assurance. This was not the same Armando who’d given Oliver refuge the night of the storm; the hunched, scruffy, secretive man who’d spent decades living under the label of “zany.” This was a man who held his head high with pride.

He patted Oliver’s shoulder. “I remember years ago, in 1944, you told me it would all make sense in seventy years’ time. And now it all does. Lucas has been going against my back for years.” He looked away with a troubled expression. “To think he wanted me dead.”

Oliver felt a pang of grief. Armando had trusted Lucas and Lucas had betrayed him in the worst way imaginable.

“But that is in the past now,” Armando replied. “Thanks to you.”

Oliver felt a surge of pride. Then he remembered his conversation with Professor Amethyst. It wasn’t over yet. There was more work to be done. The work of a seer was an endless task. And his destiny was intertwined with Armando’s. He just didn’t know in what way.

Thinking of Professor Amethyst sent a shard of pain into Oliver’s heart. He touched the amulet with his fingers. It was as cold as ice. Returning to the School for Seers was not an option. He’d probably never return. Never see his friends again: Walter, Simon, Hazel, Ralph, and Esther. He’d never play switchit again or walk the corridors held up by the kapoc tree.

Armando gave him a kind smile. “Since we’ve never technically met, perhaps I ought to introduce myself. I’m Armando Illstrom, of Illstrom’s Inventions.”

Oliver snapped out of his sad reverie. He shook Armando’s hand, feeling warmth spread through his whole body.

“I’m Oliver Blue. Of…”

He paused. Where did he belong now? Not the School for Seers, nor the factory in this new reality where he and Armando had never met. And most definitely not his home in New Jersey with the Blues, who he knew now were not his real parents.