The Touching of Souls

It is the fourteenth century, and after finding the survivors who have been taken from their island home and sold into slavery to a Sultan’s son in a far distant realm, Avalon is critically wounded in a fierce battle. His poisoned wounds leave him in a deep coma.While waiting for Avalon to recover, Genevieve and Ameliana purchase the slaves’ freedom and prepare the Ghost Runner for the upcoming voyage to return the islanders to their ancestral lands so they can rebuild their lives.The sorcerer Caligastia follows them on their journey on his black-sailed ship using a homing device, a pyramid-shaped crystal that was hidden in the hold of Ghost Runner, but when it was discovered and jettisoned over the side, it implodes in the ocean’s deep depths with such catastrophic force it caused a massive tidal wave.Upon reaching the islanders’ archipelago, they set about the laborious task of rebuilding the derelict town. Both of Avalon’s wives, who are soon due to give birth, decide to take Ghost Runner to the neighboring archipelago where bird life abounds and turtles lay their eggs on a small sandy quay. The egg hunt is ill-fated when a hurricane appears over the horizon. Not wanting to be surrounded by dangerous reef inside the lagoon when the storm hits, Genevieve decides to sail Ghost Runner back to the safety of their home anchorage but with disastrous results.Ten years came and went on their island paradise when, early one morning, a tsunami sweeps across the archipelago and in minutes destroys all they knew and love as they are swept out to sea amongst the debris. Fate intervenes when they are plucked from the storm-tossed and littered ocean by the one man who can lead them back to Avalon’s homeland thousands of miles to the east.After many adventures of sailing through the hurricane season to take advantage of favorable winds to blow them thousands of miles to the east, they arrive at their destination and leave their beloved schooner to travel overland for many months on horseback into the formidable and distant Alps. The expedition is fraught with danger as snow leopards stalk and attack the horses. Not only do they have to contend with snow leopards, wolf packs, treacherous snow-covered trails, and precipitous ravines in the rugged Alps, but a relentless enemy is lying in wait to ambush them to ensure they never reach the kingdom of Nebadon.