The Stoneholding (Legacy of the Stone Harp: Book One)

Darkness looms over the ancient world of Ahn Norvys, and the Great Harmony of Ardiel lies rent asunder. Prince Starigan, heir to the throne, has been abducted and power has been usurped by a traitorous cabal In the mountainous highlands of Arvon is the small but ancient community the Stoneholding, which has held out against the gathering forces of the evil Ferabek. Here by tradition, from earliest times, the High Bard has resided as guardian of the Sacred Fire, as well as the golden harp called the Talamadh. But in his search for the lost prince, Ferabek has attacked the Stoneholding with his Black Scorpion Dragoons and razed it to the ground. Wilum, the aged High Bard was forced to flee for his life with a ragged band of survivors, including Kalaquinn Wright, the wheelwrightss son. Kal, green in years and understanding, was torn from his pastoral life in a remote highland clanholding, and thrust out onto a broader stage in a journey of danger and escape, discovery and enlightenment. Now, as night covers Ahn Norvys, he must save what remains of the hallowed order of things and seek his destiny, a destiny that lies far beyond the Stoneholding. He must somehow find Prince Starigan and rekindle the Sacred Fire. The Legacy of the Stone Harp, is set in the time of legend, a time of pastoral simplicity, before the advent of machines and technology. Legacy of the Stone Harp portrays the ageless struggle between good and evil in the richly imagined world of Ahn Norvys. For thousands of years the diverse realms of Ahn Norvys have known only peace and security. Governed by the great harmony established in ages past by the first High King, Ardiel, whose wondrously crafted harp, the Talamadh, first bound together the heavens and the earth in peace, the folk of Ahn Norvys have lived simple, unfettered lives. But Ardiels binding is beginning to unravel. The intimate connections between the things of heaven and the things of earth are being torn asunder. As the Great Harmonic Age draws toward its dire close, moral and social decay has taken hold in the land. Chaos and misrule are afoot, as are treachery and injustice. Evil figures grow in power and influence .. When two colony worlds fall to Troft forces almost without a struggle, Earth makes a desperate decision. It would attack the aliens not from space, but with a new Cobra ground force. Now that same force is under threat of disbanding--just when they're needed most. Jin, a female Cobra (warrior with enhanced military body parts), returns to Qasama to help help the Troft repel attacks by invading forces. This is a continuation of the Cobra Trilogy. As shadows loom over the world of Ahn Norvys, one song, one harp, and one man are all that stand between the dark night of chaos and the dawn of harmony and order.