Hello, Shotgun readers; Michael Lorah here. I’d like to share with you the first chapter of an in-progress fantasy story I’ve been working on. I hope you enjoy it.
An untitled fantasy story
by Michael C Lorah
Once upon a time…
Chapter One
The Par-Tay
…there was a young man named Jerrod. Tall and lean, with a narrow face, a full head of dark hair and shimmering evergreen eyes, Jerrod lived quietly in city once named Plohton in a kingdom formerly called Valencia. His skill with a sword ranked second to none of his neighbors, though his foster parents – Knorr and Lyrra – ensured that his physical prowess never surpassed his compassion for finding a fair and equitable solution to any problem.
Plohton lay on a long, sweeping grass-laden plain, sitting high on a slope above the Ploh River. Decades ago, when Valencia prospered, Plohton was regarded as one of the world’s busiest and most important port cities. Many years ago, during the golden rule of King Humorff, food was plentiful, trade profitable, and enemies dared not move against the mighty Valencian army. All this, once, many years ago. Now, finding food may prove a fatal proposition, trade became a foreign language, and enemies … enemies still stayed their distance. Perhaps, fickle and vengeful, they enjoyed seeing the once-great kingdom bowed low. More likely, they feared Kaarg and dared not intrude into his territory.
Every spring, heavy rains pushed the Ploh River beyond its banks, and the waters spilled onto the plains, replenishing the farmlands surrounding Plohton with rich soil from the riverbed. The neighboring kingdom to the south, Juntiper, claimed land surrounding the river, and the conflict between the two nations extended back generations. It was, however, not the most telling or personal conflict that had arisen between the two nations. That particular story is best left for a later page in this drama.
