Enchanted Castle Archives

Zair was thirteen when he was kidnapped and trained to be a Shadow -- to stand in for Crown Prince Anwir in dangerous situations. Magicians broke the rules of magic when they wove illusion spells around him, so he would walk and talk and sound and look like Anwir, The two boys were meant to be friends, companions, perhaps the only true friend either one would ever have. Magic in the kingdom of Dorwain was broken, the old ways purged, forgotten, or warped. The magicians made mistakes. Some fatal. However, when they used the dust of a shattered magic mirror as the base of their spells, that proved to be Zair's only hope for survival and escape. Despite the destruction of her physical body, Viza the magic mirror was alive in her dust. Zair could hear her, proving the strength of his sleeping, inborn magic. She became his friend and teacher. Together, they sought a way to escape. The magic awakening in Zair proved he had royal blood, with a claim to the throne. That made him a threat to the current king. He needed to break the growing web of spells that imprisoned him, and reclaim his own face before time ran out.

Life in the enchanted castle, in the center of the enchanted forest, had its benefits and its drawbacks. Emphasis on drawbacks, with 'Na's problematic 17th birthday approaching. Thanks to her parents' reputation for breaking enchantments and solving magical problems, they had numerous enemies. Chances were good some of them had set numerous curses to take effect on her birthday. The best way to avoid trouble was to stay home, alone, and keep the doors locked. Then clumsy Prince Ruprick and his assistant/bodyguard/troubleshooter Ambrose showed up. The prince didn't know how to take no for an answer. His father had failed at winning the Beastly Beauty for his bride, so now it was up to him to win the daughter. Plus, Fang, the half-vampire bunny, had showed up in a bad mood. What else could go wrong?

'Na and Ambrose set out to rescue her friend Zella, who lives in a tower and grows her hair to make wigs for dragon-tamers. The magic mirror web is down, and all sorts of legal filings are threatening Zella's peace and solitude. Along the way, they encounter Prince Ruprick and his scheming cousin Rumpton, who increases his kingdom through the new, dark magical art called real estate. Rumpton's target is Zella, her tower, and the curse that controls her hair growth business.

The enchanted castle is under attack from a patchwork monster, while some spellwork cheaters and thieves try to capture Fang, convinced he possesses a fountain of youth spell they need very badly. 'Na, Ambrose and Zella must find the elusive, ticked-off sorcerer who can stop his patchwork creation, and a nasty spell that wants to unravel other magic, before it tears apart their home.