Legends of Mourra, Volume 1: A wip (Re)Introduction

Original Image by Kevin Escate on Unsplash

Synopsis

Sirin's son has been kidnapped by the djinn, and she will stop at nothing to find him and bring him home, even if that means marching into the realm of the Unseen on what everyone insists is a hopeless mission. He's gone, she is told. Grieve him, for he is as good as dead. If he is returned to you, he will not be the same child you knew.

But he isn't dead, and Sirin refuses to wait around for an if. She doesn't care that no one has ever returned from such a venture. She's going to save her son, or die trying.

Enter Halah; the only person taken by the djinn who claims to have escaped them, rather than been returned. Only she knows the paths into the Unseen realm and the ways through the kingdom of the djinn, and when Sirin pleads for her help, she agrees.

She can't abandon a child, even one she doesn't know. Even if it does mean returning to the last place in all the realms she ever wants to see again...

Characters

Sirin | a desperate, determined mother, chief of her tribe after her husband's untimely death.

Qusaiy | Sirin's son, a six year old boy, renowned for his beautiful voice and excellent memory.

Raoul | Cousin to Sirin's husband and her childhood friend, secretly in love with her, utterly devoted to her.

Halah | escapee from the djinn, living as an outcast at the edge of a village with her best friend and a sootdragon for company.

Ilyas | Raoul's best friend and a fierce warrior of Sirin's tribe, Nilam's twin brother, and a former slave.

Nilam | A Ranger, Halah's best and only friend, Ilyas' twin sister, and a former slave.

Author's Notes

I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS!

Welcome to Legends of Mourra, formally known as Chronicles of Mourra. And yup, you read that right: this is only volume one!  The plan is to basically write a series of books that all take place in the same universe, and each will be a different 'legend'. Probably there will be some cameos from book to book, but they won't be direct sequels. As of yet, I only have two volumes in mind; the second will probably be the oft-mentioned gender-swapped retelling of Aladdin!

But oh, the plot of this one! It's new and fresh and pared down from the former too-grand scale of the old one, in which an entire kingdom succumbed to civil war and invasion after a coup, as seen from the perspective of four or five people. This revamped plot is both way more manageable and delicious, if I do say so myself.

There's some mystery, some magic, some wonder, some romance, a little bit of horror but nothing too bad, and a spicy sprinkling of complex relationships and tragic backstories.

Some things remain the same though; this is still a rescue mission for poor Qusaiy, there's still gonna be a road-trip of a quest, Raoul's still hopelessly in love with Sirin, (as is Ilyas with Halah), Nilam is still awesome, and Halah is still an outcast. 

I'm also super excited to feature various mythical creatures pulled from various Arabian and African (and more!) traditions, as well as inspiration from different Muslim beliefs! I have a whole alphabetical compendium/encyclopedia ready to go and everything. 

However, I am not, as of this moment, at the writing stage. I am at the planning and note-making stage though! Will keep y'all updated!

Also, sidenote: I'm not 100% sold on the cover I've whipped up, but it'll work until/if I get something I like better.

Until next time, happy reading and writing!