Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web - Volume 1

 

 

NICHOLAS RAVEN

AND THE

WIZARDS’ WEB

 

 

 

 

VOLUME 1

~  PROLOGUE AND CHAPTERS 1 - 39  ~

 

 

THOMAS J. PRESTOPNIK

Copyright © 2015 by Thomas J. Prestopnik

 

All rights reserved.

 

Nicholas Raven and the Wizards’ Web - Volume 1

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a book reviewer who may quote short excerpts of this literary work in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.

Visit Thomas J. Prestopnik’s website at
www.TomPresto.com
.

 

 

Cover Artist:
Kelly McGrogan

Cover Layout:
Ryan McGrogan

Maps:
Thomas J. Prestopnik

 

 

 

 

 

Nicholas Raven and the Wizards’ Web

 

Nicholas Raven, a young gristmill accountant, just wanted a little adventure in his life. But he gets more than he bargained for when tumultuous winds of the past sweep him away on a journey he’ll never forget.

 

Invisible webs are being spun over the lands of Laparia; webs of war, deceit, revenge and manipulation, all by two corrupt wizards with different objectives. When Nicholas becomes an inconvenience to their plans which pass by his very doorstep, he finds himself unwittingly ensnared in their vindictive schemes.

 

After being accused of crimes he didn’t commit, Nicholas reluctantly flees home. But whether by chance or fate, his personal problems collide with the turbulent state of affairs around him, and he soon finds himself on a journey to the far corners of Laparia.

 

Against a backdrop of war, kidnapping, mistaken identity and newfound love, Nicholas becomes embroiled in a rescue mission along the shores of a sprawling sea, takes part in a quest to reforge a magic key that could tip the balance of power in a growing war, and is ultimately drawn into the center of the tangled web of intrigue that has plagued his life from the very start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For every reader in search

of an exciting adventure.

I hope you find one

inside these pages.

 

 

CONTENTS

 

MAPS

FOREWORD

 

PROLOGUE

 

PART ONE

TROUBLE IN KANESBURY

 

Chapter 1

Plans Made

 

Chapter 2

A Trap is Sprung

 

Chapter 3

The Awakening

 

Chapter 4

A Wizard and His Apprentice

 

Chapter 5

The Party

 

Chapter 6

A Thief in the Night

 

Chapter 7

Two Meetings

 

Chapter 8

A Key to a Plan

 

Chapter 9

A Change in Direction

 

Chapter 10

On King’s Road

PART TWO

THE ROAD NORTH

 

Chapter 11

A Brief Visit

 

Chapter 12

A Conversation Among Friends

 

Chapter 13

The Plum Orchard Inn

 

Chapter 14

Secrets Revealed

 

Chapter 15

Table Talk

 

Chapter 16

Spies on the Bridge

 

Chapter 17

The Switch

 

Chapter 18

Visitors from the North

 

Chapter 19

Fifty Copper Pieces

 

Chapter 20

The Grasslands

PART THREE

MACHINATIONS

 

Chapter 21

The Umarikaya

 

Chapter 22

The Road to Triana

 

Chapter 23

Bread and Soup

 

Chapter 24

The Swamp

 

Chapter 25

A Change in Leadership

 

Chapter 26

An Unwitting Accomplice

 

Chapter 27

The War Council

PART FOUR

PRELUDE TO WAR

 

Chapter 28

One Lit Candle

 

Chapter 29

The Medallion

 

Chapter 30

A Secret Mission

 

Chapter 31

Alterations

 

Chapter 32

Silent Pursuit

 

Chapter 33

A Cabin in the Woods

 

Chapter 34

The Clearing

 

Chapter 35

A Loose Tooth

 

Chapter 36

Across the Golden Plains

 

Chapter 37

A Common Bond

 

Chapter 38

On the Battle’s Doorstep

 

Chapter 39

Through the Billowing Fog

 

MAPS

 

 

 

Map One

The Lands of Laparia

 

Map Two

The Kingdom of Arrondale

 

Map Three

The County of Litchfield

 

Map Four

The Village of Kanesbury

 

 

 

 

Each map follows twice.

First as a two-page spread, and then on a single page.

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