The Harlequin's Dance

The god Orok gave to his five children crystals to be embedded in a circle on the Rock of Being and Unbeing, whence had sprung the gods, the earth and all its peoples. This circle, known as The Orokon, ensured the harmony of life, until the dark god Koros plucked his crystal from the Rock and plunged the whole world into chaos and despair . . . In the village of Irion, the crippled boy known as Jemany Vexing lives with his dying mother and his fanatical Aunt Umbecca. Unable to walk, Jem is condemned to a wretched half-life, until he meets a mysterious dwarf. With his new strength comes a new friendship with the wild girl Catayane. as the horrors of the Bluejacket regime - the faction that overthrew the true king - begin, Jem becomes aware of his greater destiny: to find and reunite the five crystals of the Orokon. But he is not the only seeker . . . Originally released under the pseudonym Tom Arden