Naythorn Blackmane Unicorn and the Seventh Prince

AN UPLIFTING CHILDREN'S BOOK FOR ADULTS

canst thou bind the unicorn... Job (Authorized King James Bible)

On the longest night of winter a Phoenician barge with a precious cargo of blue gold finds itself beset by tumultuous seas. Desperate to save the magical gold that when forged into armor and swords sustains true hearts, Admiral Zoumar orders himself to be tied to the mast. If worse comes to worse and his vessel sinks to the bottom of the sea, the admiral cares not to live on. Faraway, also on the longest night of the year, four princes and princesses flee the burning palace of Troy. Upon seizing the last in the line of raider barges, and with the help of the ship's pilot the enslaved Bashkeem, the Troyans embark upon piracy against the country that despoiled their nascent kingdom. At the same time that occurs the buffeting of the admiral's vessels by storm winds, and the flight of royals from a burning palace, across a great ocean Naythorn Blackmane Unicorn finds himself made to be an outcast from the magical white herd. Having been given by the touch of Naythorn's horn the ability to understand and speak to each other a sage bison, a laconic long-horned cattle, an enormous bear, an intrepid lion, a dancing wolf, an unserious duck, an adventurous goose, five very smart wild boars, and two stalwart blacksmiths go with the blackmane.

Within the passage of a few moons of time, Admiral Zoumar and the orphaned Troyan princes and princesses come to each others' aid in a great sea battle of many war barges. Once united, Admiral Zoumar and the Troyans are drawn to a unicorn wielding power over the mists, and two unicorns imprisoned in Egypt. The magical gift of the unicorn mare Crimson is to paint the clouds with what she envisions below them. Her colt Seahorse is named for his ability to swim strongly and tirelessly the sea.

The magical abilities of the three unicorns come to play a salient role in the lives of Admiral Zoumar, Captain Avalcar, four princes and princesses of Troy, and two princes of Phoenicia as they together defend the city of Byblos against two invading armies. The younger Phoenician prince Ermal falls in love with Resi, the younger princess of Troy. Despairing that her brothers, sisters, and Ermal have abandoned her to undertake a very dangerous voyage across an immense sea, Resi is courted by another.

Across far seas diabolical wolves discover that upon tasting magical blood the evil lodged in their hearts transforms into uncontrollable monstrosity. Betrayed by a particularly monstrous wolf, the two matriarchs are forced to abandon the unicorn herd. Desirous to possess the magic of all the horned horses, wolves allied to Deathmask warriors threaten the very survival of the unicorns and a beleaguered tribe that had once built pyramids. The arrival of Captain Avalcar and the princes and princesses of Troy and Phoenicia brings the hope that evil can at last be vanquished.

The story offers the promise of triumph over evil intent on destroying truth, grace, hope, and the sanctity of divine love. The reader is taken on an imaginative journey that portrays the strengthening of friendship and family bonds, royal romance, and playful humor. This fast-paced but gentle fantasy, the fourth in a five book series, promises to enchant readers aged ten to eighty.