Saturday, September 21, 2013

Official Website Updated


 It is finished!!!

Today I finished my latest project of seeing to the updates of my official website www.authorsrford.com.

The changes were inspired by various sources and several requests. So, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to write in to give me their feedback. I hope I've matched your requests.

What are the changes? Let me tell you...


INDIVIDUAL PAGES FOR EACH BOOK have been added as sub-pages to my "BOOKS" overview section.
They can be reached by clicking on the cover pictures on the overview page, or by selecting the desired title from the drop down menu under "BOOKS" (See picture at left).
Each page features:
- a synopsis
- links to purchase the book
- an excerpt from the book
- and social media buttons for you to share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

UPDATED FOLLOW ME LINKS at the bottom of every page allow you to travel to and follow me on:
- Here on the blog
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Pinterest
- Google+
- and Goodreads.

In addition to these updates, links across the websites have been realigned to help visitors move more effectively across my pages and sites.


I've also updated my S. R. Ford Facebook fan page with tabs for Goodreads and Pinterest. Other updates will come as soon as possible.

I hope you enjoy the changes and can use them well. If there's anything I can do for you readers, fans, and friends out there, let me know. And please help me out by taking a moment to review my books on your favorite venue--whether that be Amazon, Goodreads, or whatever--I could really use some more feedback out there in the open.

Read on!

Friday, September 6, 2013

Mimgardr: Available Now!

Mimgardr (Oblivion's Gate, 1) is now available!

mimgardr ford oblivions gate grim mirror fire magic


You'll find links to the Paperback and Kindle editions to the right hand side of this page. Just click on the Mimgardr cover picture in the respective column. Links are also available on my official website: www.authorsrford.com.

BUT DON'T STOP READING THERE!

To celebrate the new release, all paperback purchases of Mimgardr directly from CreateSpace  between now (September 6th) and Friday, September 13th that include Promo Code TMXZ7J5D will receive 15% off. So don't miss out! You can get to the CreateSpace page by clicking HERE or by clicking on the Mimgardr cover at the top of this post.

You can buy all of my books directly from CreateSpace, and therefore fresh off the presses, by following the links found on my official website (link given above).

This new adventure is going to take you to places you love and places you didn't know existed. You'll meet familiar figures and encounter some of your favorite fantasy creatures; however, they may be slightly different than you remember. There's a whole new world to discover that might be hiding right under your nose. In Mimgardr, adventure is where the mystery begins... Are you ready for it?

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Mimgardr: Introducing Dan Barker and Aaron Flanagan

Host: Today is September 4th. S. R. Ford's latest book Mimgardr will be released in two days on September 6th. Forty-eight hours. Can you believe it? I don't know about you, but I'm as excited as a puppy waiting for a Beggin' Strip.

As a special treat for you today, I'm very proud to introduce two people who are very important to this new story. They're my two special guests. Please welcome Dan Barker and Aaron Flanagan!

***Applause***

Host: Welcome, guys. It's great to have you here.

Mr. Barker: Glad to be here.
Mr. Flanagan: Thanks for having us.

Host: So, you've got a pretty big day coming up.

Both guests: Yes, we do.
Mr. Flanagan: And we're pretty excited. This is the beginning of our life story after all.

Host (holding up Mimgardr): These are some pretty amazing events in here. How do you feel about revealing them to the world? Do you think you're ready for that?

(Guests look at each other)

Mr. Barker: Well, I have to say it's hard having my entire life open for review. My thoughts, actions, everything is open, and I only hope people will try to understand what we've been going through.

Mr. Flanagan: No kidding.

Host: So what would you say is a major theme for this book?

Mr. Flanagan: Know who your friends are. That's what I'd say. Know who your friends are, and stand by them.

Mr. Barker: That's a good way to put it, Aaron. (Turns to Host) When they were talking to us about the tagline for Mimgardr, I told them it should be either "Sometimes we're our own worst enemy" or "How many times can one heart be broken?" But they decided to go a different route. I can't feel bad though; they had hundreds of good ideas.

Mr. Flanagan: Both of those would've worked though.

Host: Now, I have to ask: What was it like getting to see things firsthand that you thought never actually existed?

***Both guests laugh lightly***

Mr. Barker: Sometimes it was pretty amazing, and at others it was the exact opposite. You'll have to read and see which was which.

Mr. Flanagan: Well put.

Host: Well, gentlemen, I see you've brought a little clip of Mimgardr. Can we share it with the audience?

Mr. Flanagan: Of course!

Host: But first, give a little heads up. What's going on in the clip?

Mr. Flanagan: This is the very beginning of the story, time-wise, where I find out that I've been targeted as part of a coup by my best friend.

Host (Pointing to Mr. Barker): And that mean's you. Doesn't it?

Mr. Barker: Yes it does.

Host: What a jerk...

***Laughter***

Host: You just can't trust anyone anymore, can you? (Turns to audience) Ladies and gentlemen, take a look:

Mimgardr
Chapter One
The King of Hearts
(Excerpt)
Copyright 2013 S. R. Ford

“Purcellville,” Aaron announced happily. “That’s where we’re going.”
“What’s in Purcellville?” Dan asked as he raked a hand through his black hair, ensuring that it remained swept back and parted while the window was down and the wind rushed around them. Two things Aaron had always admired about Dan were his well-kept, quite formal appearance and his ability to keep his hair swept back and parted almost perfectly without gel or hairspray. The combination had always lent Dan a hand up with the ladies.
“I got a call this morning from a man in Purcellville,” Aaron replied, turning the company’s white GMC Canyon up the on-ramp and onto the freeway. “He said he wants someone to come by and do an evaluation. So I figured we’d get out of the office and go ourselves for a change.”
“But why are we going there now? The appointment isn’t until noon. You should’ve just stayed out there in Hamilton, and I would’ve driven out to meet you before the appointment.”
“Like I can justify not showing up to work just because I have an appointment set up by my house. Besides, I figured that if we were together we could talk to some people out that way. They don’t see our company very often.”
“We’re salesman in northern Virginia, Aaron. No one around here complains about not seeing salesman, especially when they’re only home between seven at night and five in the morning, thanks to commutes and traffic. And that’s if they’re lucky.”
“Remind me why you bother working this job,” Aaron returned. “You’ve been doing this for two years, and all you do is complain about it. If I hate this job as much as you do when I’ve been here for two years, I’ll quit in a heartbeat.”
“I doubt it. I stay because it’s what I’ve got. I don’t need to press my luck by quitting when the economy is still so flimsy.”
Aaron shrugged. “Good point. Are you still planning on heading back out west this autumn then?”
“That’s the plan,” Dan acknowledged happily. “Why don’t you lose that tie? The temperature’s going to break ninety degrees today, and the humidity’s going right up there with it. You’ll boil up if you wear a tie all day.”
“Aren’t we supposed to look professional?” Aaron chided.
“Our definition of professional doesn’t include a tie specifically. You know me; I’m all for looking crisp and formal. But in this climate it’s hardly appropriate. We just need to look respectable. You know, climate-appropriate business casual. A white or blue button-up or polo shirt, slacks, and shiny shoes are all we’re asked to wear. Unless we’re in the office, of course.”
“All right then,” Aaron smiled, loosening the knot in his tie with one hand and pulling the tail through his collar. “You’re the boss.”
“Anyway, you should take some time off and fly out too. You could escape this Washington to see your family in the other Washington.”
“I can’t. I don’t have enough vacation days left.”
“Oh,” Dan breathed, turning up the radio so the guitars and drums would overcome the roar of the traffic around them. “So did you find a date for Friday?”
“I haven’t had time to look. Besides, I haven’t been here long enough to meet anybody worth asking.”
“Oh, and I have been?” Dan retorted tauntingly. “I just got transferred into this sector a few months ago, but I’ve got a date. Maybe we can find you someone today. Can’t have you showing up dateless, now can we? We’ll just have you win over some fine lady with those blue eyes of yours, and we’ll be all squared away. You said you can sing like Sinatra, didn’t you?”
“I don’t think flirting with girls is appropriate during work hours.”
“Of course, it’s not. So we’ll do it during lunch. The way I see it is that we don’t have to be back in Ashburn till three o’clock, and all we need to keep the boss off our backs is a good enough report to justify driving out here ourselves. So that’ll give us at least a little time to hunt down a date for you.”

They arrived in Purcellville around 9:45 AM and parked at the far end of a Bloom Market parking lot. They walked the town and met several of the business owners, including a print shop owner, a spa manager, and a few fast food joint supervisors. As they were making their way around, Aaron noticed that the closer it came to noon, the more fidgety and uncomfortable Dan became. Normally Dan was sarcastic, funny, and quite well known for taunting people, but the closer the twelve o’clock chime marched toward them, he became apprehensive and looked almost on guard.
“What’s wrong?” Aaron finally asked while they were eating lunch at the local Tropical Smoothie CafĂ©.
“Nothing,” Dan replied quickly. “Just thinking about stuff is all.”
“You look scared to me.”
“We’ll see who’s scared when I plant you in front of that blond girl over there at the counter. She keeps looking over here at you.”
“Will you stop trying to find me a date? I’m nineteen years old. I can get my own date.”
“Do it then,” Dan challenged with a wink. “Or a twenty-one-year-old will do it for you.”
“You’re twenty,” Aaron corrected with little enthusiasm.
“I’m closer to being twenty-one than twenty,” Dan shot back. Then he stood and swept the wrappers from his tray into the waste bin a few tables over. “We’ll have to stop by and talk to her on our way out of town. Come on. We’re going to be late.”

They made their way down the road and turned past the vacant high school. The building held onto its loneliness for the second to last weekend before students would return to its halls at the close of summer break. Across the street from the school, they turned into an apartment complex with white buildings, green roofs, and a circular arrangement. Aaron led the way into the complex and found the unit they were seeking. They rounded the building looking for the stairwell that would take them up to the second floor, but they ran into a tall, old man instead. He was at least a foot taller than Dan’s six foot height and about a foot and a half taller than Aaron. His head, though bald on top, was surrounded in long silver hair and a thick beard. He wore a nicely pressed, navy blue suit, and stood with his arms folded, glaring down his crooked, pointy nose at them.
“Merlin!” Dan cried out in alarm before bowing quite deeply and causing Aaron to turn his attention to Dan in surprise.
“You’re late, Daniel,” the man replied with a solid tone. His elegant British accent was unmistakable.
“I know,” Dan quickly apologized. “It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t let it happen again,” the man pressed with a tease in his voice.
Aaron, who was most perplexed and frightened, looked up to see the man smiling at him.
“Hello, Aaron.”
The ground lurched as Aaron attempted to speak. A hole opened beneath him, and he began dropping downward. In a second he was ten feet down and could see the silhouettes of Dan and the old man looking down after him. Then with a flash of light the soil around him became void and blackness enveloped him. He couldn’t think, and he couldn’t cry out. The shock of the last few moments had left him voiceless. The light now high above was quickly swallowed amid the abyssal darkness, and he was surrounded in nothing but empty space. Then all at once he hit the ground with a gentle thud. Everything was dark, except for the large palm leaves and aspen branches that fluttered softly overhead. Against the black, starless sky, the branches and leaves glowed gently as if they themselves were under the light of the noonday sun.
His face twisted in confusion as he flexed his fingers and felt the long grasses in which he lay. They were soft and cool to his touch, and they tickled his skin. He could hear water trickling not too far off on his left, joined by the quiet lapping of water on a shore and the smell of flowers filtering through the air. What happened? Night and day at the same time? Where am I? he thought...

(End of Excerpt)

 ***Applause***

Host (to Dan): Wow! How could you do that to your best friend? What was that like for you?

Mr. Barker: I was more of an unwilling participant than anything, to be straight about it. I had no idea what was actually going to happen that day. (Fights a chuckle) But, I'll never forget the look on Aaron's face. At first it was the epitome of "What's going on here?" but as soon as he began to fall it changed to the most hilarious "OH <----->!" face.

Mr. Flanagan: Well, let's drop you in a hole with no warning and see what you look like. You could've at least warned me.

***Laughter***

Mr. Barker: The expression made the whole day for me. And that's saying something, 'cause I really didn't like that day. Still don't. You'll understand why in a couple days after the release. And to be honest, it was a hard thing to live through. Aaron and I had become very close friends and when I turned him over to Merlin, I had no idea what was going to happen.

Host (to Aaron): Did you forgive him?

Mr. Flanagan: (looks at Mr. Barker for a few seconds) I guess you'll have to wait and see.

Host to Audience: Well folks, it sounds like there's a lot to brace for. Don't miss the release of Mimgardr by S. R. Ford, available this weekend. (Turns to guests) Gentlemen, thanks very much for being here. I hope this becomes a big success for you.

Guests together: Thanks. Us too.

Host: Ladies and gentlemen, Dan Barker and Aaron Flanagan!

***Applause***

Host: And we'll be right back!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Mimgardr: A Purposeful Look

As we come down to the last three days, I want to give you a deeper look into how Mimgardr fits in with the rest of the Oblivion's Gate trilogy.

Oblivion's Gate is all about bringing together myth, folklore, legends, fables, science, and histories from all around the globe and creating a single unified picture to explain them. Mimgardr itself is intended to pay homage to pieces of lore that have survived for hundreds and even thousands of years, stories that have been retold again, and again, and again with little variation. Many of the world's oldest and most well-known legends and lore were combined into characters, settings, and experiences.
 
Over 500 different elements play a part in building the world of Dan Barker and Aaron Flanagan; however, Mimgardr is just the opening act. This book is my homage to days gone by and mystical stories long told as I set the stage for an enormous  struggle that envelopes the modern age of the world.

Remember this word collage I shared a while back when I first presented Mimgardr to you? Do me a favor: take another look and see what catches your eye.

If you've checked out my new Pinterest boards, then you've seen that I have boards dedicated to such topics as the Grim Reaper, the Headless Horseman, Fenrir, the leviathan, and realms. If you explore these and other boards, you'll find some glimpse into other tie-ins mentioned in this collage.

My desire is for Mimgardr to connect with people all around the world--to give everyone something they can grab onto and say "Oh yeah! I know what that is!" I want to bring all of our myths together and wrap them around a world that has long since banished them as legends....... when perhaps they aren't legends at all.

For example: What if Plato was wrong about the destruction of Atlantis? What if he blamed the gods jealousy purely out of spite? Or perhaps, where did the giants go who are spoken of in almost every world culture? Or the elves and dwarves? What about dragons, mermaids, and other such creatures? Why did the ancients believe in shape-shifting gods that ruled in various realms both above and beneath the earth? What if everything you know and the way you know it is just a lie?

Questions like these and others are what spawned the ideas that have developed into Mimgardr, and I want people to find thousands of questions like them stirring around in their minds while they're reading. Mimgardr is going to help kick the series off by giving us a harmonized glimpse of the world that will play into the rest of the series and our modern age quite powerfully.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Oblivion's Gate: Mimgardr - Table of Contents


How many of you out there are doodlers? I know I am. I like to sketch, draw, or doodle out upcoming ideas. Like this cauldron, for example, that was part of the inspiration behind Mimgardr.

Originally, Mimgardr was going to be full of sketches and things, but I've since decided to leave them out for the sake of imagination. Instead, I'll share them elsewhere for fun.
 
Ready for your next peek into Mimgardr? Yesterday, you had a chance to read the prologue. Today, take a peek at the Table of Contents. Let's talk about which chapter titles catch your attention most. I'll even give you an excerpt of one to read. Enjoy!

Mimgardr
Table of Contents 

Long Enough
The King of Hearts
When the Morning Comes
What the Others Do Wrong
Maybe You Will
No, Dan
Precisely
One Last Lesson
A Realm for Hypocrites
Take It
Something Jazzy
You’re All Right
Six Glass Bottles
The Only Surviving Member
Real Friends
Over the Cauldron
The Final Ingredient
Improperly Late
Oolong Did
Imbalanced
A Bad Day
Three Petals
Silhouetted on the Hill
An Uncomfortable Question
I Luv Yu Mor
Nothing More Than a Memory
From His Heart
Two of the Four
Dangerous Crossroads
Blood and Dust
Big Scheme Revealed
I Believe I Do
The Heart Render
Her Condition
Hades’ Smile
Guardian Spirit
Congratulations
With the Grim’s Help
Three Days
Blood Blossoms
Egregious
Run and Hide
Oblivion’s Gate
Untouched
Foreknowledge
Twenty Hearts Beating
The Perfect Moment
Because of You
Even Worse
Disappear Forever
Wait No Longer
Pronunciation Guide
 
So which ones catch your attention? Which ones do you want to know about? Let's have a discussion. Comment below.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Oblivion's Gate: Mimgardr - Release Date and Excerpt


I wonder if you know how excited I am for this new release--how anxious I am to have you join me on this new adventure. If you remember before, I gave you the list of my list of top three author moments. They were:

#3 - the title reveal,
#2 - the cover reveal,
and #1 - the actual book release.

Well, #3 and #2 have been checked off, which leaves only one more. Here we sit just under two weeks from the official release date, and I can't seem to calm down.

That's right! It's almost time to check off #1 on my list of favorite author moments!


Mimgardr will become available the weekend of September 6-8, 2013.
I'll make sure you get all the details as soon as I can.

But in the meantime...

Last Friday when I unveiled Mimgardr's cover and checked off #2 on my list, I also gave you a little clip from the book to help explain it. (If you missed it, click HERE.) And when I revealed the title and checked off #3, I gave you a pretty good glimpse into the opening plot too. (If you missed that one, click HERE.) Today I want to share another little glimpse. I call it Long Enough, but you might recognize it by another name better. That name? The Prologue. Enjoy!


 Mimgardr
  Prologue
Long Enough
Copyright 2013 S. R. Ford. All Rights Reserved.

Nearly five years had passed since they walked away from Merlin’s realm for the last time. Mimgardr had once been a bustling hub of world culture, but not anymore. Battle had changed that. Now it was vacant and lifeless, an empty waste filled with sorrow and regret.

Originally the king and master had pledged to return, thinking that if Mimgardr could be reclaimed then so could the world order. The realm would be their manifestation of hope. But as with most well-intentioned oaths, their valor faded in the face of difficulty. Each day it grew fainter and fainter until Mimgardr was finally left to its tormented demise. In the end, they never returned, they never rebuilt, and they hardly spoke of trying.

But why should they? They didn’t need Mimgardr, and they had dealt with too much sorrow already anyway. Five years ago, a single flake of mischief had started an avalanche of misfortune which swept over Mimgardr like an engulfing tide. Why go back? Why go back to the vacant homes and rundown shops that hardly whispered of their former purpose? Why go back to the little community beneath the tower’s watchful eye? Why go back to the once proud castle that now lay in a pile of dusty rubble? The only well-kept part of Mimgardr was a monumental tomb that proudly rose out of the ground before the tower. Everything else, from the overgrown shrubs and weed-infested gardens to the faded light and mossy walls of the sorcerer’s old property, would only recall the dismal memories of days gone by. So why go back? There was no reason.

Or at least that was the logic Aaron used to banish any thoughts of Mimgardr when they came nipping at his mind like a stir-crazy dog. Inside he knew he would have to face Mimgardr again someday, but he assumed that someday would be far off in the future.
The king, it turned out, thought differently, for all during breakfast this particular morning, he seemed distracted and irritable. He didn’t speak and he hardly ate. Then just as Aaron was about to excuse himself and start into the day’s duties, the king called out firmly, “Aaron, gather your things. You and I are going back to Mimgardr, and we’re going today.”


After stepping through the enchanted door and crossing the corroded community on foot, they entered Master Merlin’s forgotten tower. Pale light seeped through the dirty windows and cast shadows across every stone. Thick layers of dust and mold found refuge on nearly every surface and filled the air with a choking aroma. The faint sound of dripping water echoed around them and gave the tower an eerie presence. It was as though the tower were rebuking them for leaving it behind and letting it go the way of all the earth.

Aaron waited alone for several minutes while the king retrieved a large, flat bundle from its hiding place in the basement. Then they made their way up the stairs cautiously, taking a moment to pause on each floor and look for any signs of life. Six floors up they climbed until they reached the door of the sorcerer’s now roofless office. Across the hall the door to the old library was open. Raiders had removed a few of the relics inside, but most of the library’s bounty had been left for the duo to remove before they sealed the little realm off from the rest of the world four years and eleven months ago.

Their attention turned to the old office and they entered it reverently. It too had been emptied, and now only the furniture and dust remained.

“Sit down, Aaron,” the king admonished, gesturing to the two chairs that sat before an ominous desk at the heart of the room. Aaron remembered spending a great deal of time in those chairs during his apprenticeship, and the thought of sitting in them again made him long for the happier days of old.

“Your Highness?” Aaron returned, taking the offered seat slowly and examining the octagonal office. He knew that King Michael insisted on being called Mickey among friends, and only allowed himself to be called by his given name or a title in formal circumstances, but it had never sat well with Aaron. It seemed to contradict everything his parents had taught him about respecting people of high standing and greater age. So, he used titles as much as possible, even though the king detested it at every turn. “Why are we here? Why did you bring me back to Mimgardr? You know what this place does to me. There’s a reason we chose to abandon it.”

“We’ve waited long enough,” the king returned as he carefully deposited the bundle beside the desk and glared Aaron down yet again for his use of Your Highness.

“Long enough?” Aaron asked in confusion. “Long enough for what?”

“Long enough for things to… Settle? I believe that’s the word you used.”

“Oh,” Aaron breathed, cringing in guilt. “You saw the letter on my desk, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” the king confirmed as he seated himself in the magnificent armchair across from Aaron and turned his gaze to the metal door on his right that led away to the private chambers of the tower’s former master. “Not that I needed to. You’re about as easy to read as a picture book. Actually, your little ranting letter was quite timely. I think you’re finally ready to see what happened to Dan all those years ago from his own perspective.”

“I think I understand what happened well enough, Your Majesty. I don’t want to see it from Dan’s perspective; it was bad enough from my own.”

The failing health of the king made smiling difficult for him. His spritely pizzazz was growing dim as unnatural age continued to wreak havoc on his body. Many of the activities he once cherished were simply beyond him now. However, faithful to his word and his master’s centuries-old traditions, King Mickey had insisted that they return to Mimgardr and that they cloth themselves in Mimgardr fashion before doing so. As for himself that meant he was back in his characteristic attire: brown pants, simple red robes, broken-in loafers, and the famous white gloves Aaron had never seen him without. His hair was slicked back as always, and he wore no crown. Why he refused a crown, no one knew, but he had been quite adamantly against them for the entire duration of his rule. He preferred flat caps and fedoras if anything.

He looked down on Aaron and shook his head as he declined the young man’s claim, “You have no idea what they’ve done to him, Aaron.”

“They? Do you mean the Fallen?”

“No,” the king returned ponderously, “and yet, yes.”

“I don’t understand,” Aaron groaned in frustration as he sank back into his chair.

“That’s exactly why I’ve brought you back here,” the king snapped. His higher-pitched voice had lost none of its potent enthusiasm. “It’s about time that I take you back—back to the beginning—to see some things you haven’t before. Then, you will be able to help me repair the heart I should’ve kept from breaking and reinstate Dan’s honor.”

“The beginning?” Aaron questioned, glancing down at his watch when it chimed the ten o’clock morning hour. “Do you mean whoever they are has been after Dan since even before he and I were made your apprentices?”

“Long before then, Aaron,” the king returned. “Someone tainted Dan years before Merlin and I ever met him.”

Aaron’s eyes turned downward. His blue robes seemed to be bunching up strangely now, so he straightened them vigorously while balancing his white staff against his chest. Then he anxiously straightened the pointy, brimless, blue hat that adorned his brow. Why would anyone want to ruin a person’s life like that?

“What do they want with Dan, Mickey?” he asked nervously as his eyes danced around the office.
 
“And why did we come back to Mimgardr to talk about this? Why couldn’t we talk about this back home.”

“I don’t know what they want with him, Aaron,” the king answered as his eyes descended to the object beside the desk. “But there is much to learn from Mimgardr. This tower is where your apprenticeships began, and for now that’s as far back as we can go.”

The king cautiously leaned forward to pull away the knotted cloak that covered the secret object. The mirror beneath the cloth had an exquisite silver frame and was about two and a half feet tall. A beautifully realistic, silver rose was the crowning piece of the frame’s composition, and if it weren’t for the evil locked away behind that rose’s magical seal, Aaron would’ve very much liked to have the mirror for his own home. But this mirror was evil, to say the least, and it had been left in Mimgardr on purpose. As long as it remained wrapped up and locked away, its horrors were safe from discovery.

The foremost of those horrors was the slumbering face trapped deep inside the glass. The holographic visage was composed of separate red, yellow, blue, green, and black layers that came together to create a three-dimensional image. Aaron studied the face carefully while a deep longing sprang to life within him. The face belonged to Dan Barker, the best friend Aaron had not seen in several years.

“Aaron?” King Mickey called, snapping his younger counterpart’s attention away from Dan’s 
slumbering expression. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, sir,” Aaron sighed.

“You’re lying,” the king exposed, smiling slightly. “I can see it in your eyes. You can’t hide your feelings from me, Aaron, you know that. You’re a terrible liar; you always have been. Don’t be afraid to admit it when your heart aches for friendship, for it is in those moments that we find our greatest desires revealed to us. You wish to see Dan again, alive and free, as do I, and that is exactly why I have brought you back to Mimgardr. Here we can study the past without the distractions of other people or technology.”

“I still don’t understand what we’re looking for.”

“What have we been looking for the last five years, young master?” the king returned incredulously.

“We have a mystery to solve and a murderer to catch. Our friends are depending on us. Surely you haven’t forgotten the promises we made and the oaths we took.”

“Your Highness, I know you and the masters have been trying to finish my training as quickly as possible, but I’m just not ready to fulfill those promises yet. I need more time.”

“You do realize you haven’t spoken to Dan in three years? No letters. No phone calls. No visits. Nothing. It’s like you’ve abandoned your pledge to Dan the same as you’ve abandoned your pledge to Mimgardr.”

Aaron’s eyes dropped. The forthright question and accusations stung. “I’ve tried to…” Aaron sputtered weakly. “I just… I don’t…”

“Did you bring the stone?” the king asked, moving on.

“Yes,” Aaron answered quietly, extracting the special stone from his pocket. It was rounded and clear, not too unlike the lens of a magnifying glass. As it passed from his hands to those of the king, a strange warmth radiated through it.

“I’ve spent a great deal of time gathering Dan’s scattered memories,” King Mickey explained. With a flick of his wrist, the king spun the stone into the air over the desk. It rose quickly and then hung there spinning at an incredible speed. “And it has cost me a great deal of sleep, I’ll have you know.”

“But harvesting memories requires the approval of the owner, doesn’t it?” Aaron inquired. “You’d have to be standing right in front of Dan to gather them, and he’d have to give you permission to take them, right?”

The king nodded slightly. “It was difficult to persuade him, but yes. After months and months of prodding, I’ve finally convinced Dan to show me what he’s experienced. At least what he remembers and is willing to share.”

“Remembers?” Aaron returned, trying to overlook the fact that the king had gone to see Dan without inviting him to come along. “How could he not remember?”

“When the will is strong enough, it is astounding what one’s mind can do. Especially when magic is involved. You see, Aaron, Dan refuses to talk about the old days and has even tried to cast away his memory in hopes of forgetting the pain. Unfortunately, for both him and us, because of the contract he actually has a place he can banish the memories to.” The king pointed to the mirror. “You’ll understand in a moment. Now, I will show you as much as I can from his perspective, but to fill the gaps I’m going to depend on your own recollections, if it’s agreeable that I use them.”

“That’s fine, I guess,” Aaron returned slowly, concerned more about what Dan would be trying to forget. “I don’t think I have anything to hide.”

The king smiled, and with a second snap the glass halted and lowered to the table. It floated an inch or so above the desk, and the king gestured to it politely, “Your finger, please, Master Aaron.”

“Exactly what are you going to show me?” Aaron asked with a tinge of fear as he gently laid his index finger to the seeing stone.

“Just… be prepared for lots of heartache, all right? And keep track of the abrupt endings and missing things in Dan’s memory,” the king replied gently, adding his own finger’s touch to the opposing edge. “To relive an old memory is to experience every part of it: the smells, the sights, the emotions, everything. We’ll begin with a scene that I hope is pleasant for you. Then we will watch the past spin by one memory at a time in hopes of divining the answers we seek.”

A surge rushed up Aaron’s arm, and his vision blurred as magical energy projected itself around them like a dream. It began as a flurried cloud of pigment. Then the colors began to take the familiar form of the company pick-up Aaron had driven just six years ago when he was working as a sales manager in Loudoun County, Virginia. The familiar music and lyrics of “Tom Sawyer,” a song performed by Rush, one of Dan’s favorite bands, filled their ears and brought a smile to Aaron’s face.

For the last time, the king’s taunting tone rippled through the air before the vision completely overtook them, “Do you remember this day, Aaron? I’ll give you a clue: the date is Friday, August 17, 2012.”

“Of course, I remember,” Aaron returned fondly. “This is the day I met you.”

(End of Excerpt)

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