The Wizard's Testament

Collapse of the Han Dynasty. A catastrophe near cosmic in its reach. A long-lived empire left in shambles. Once believed eternal, now gone as though swept from the face of the earth. In the residual vacuum, would-be successors, fueled by endless ambition, deliver a harvest of senseless destruction. An entire population brought to misery and despair. Can anything turn this sinister tide?

Our stories are fiction, rooted in one of the most difficult periods in world history. Backdrop for our accounts is the Chinese Warring States period, after the imperial states of Shu, Wei and Wu have pounded themselves to near extinction. Remnants and offshoots vie for control of the Shu roads, the treacherous thread which connects east to west and assures access to needed resources and replenishment. Gaining it means survival and continuance for whoever succeeds. A single impediment lingers, the indigenous Shu tribes. It is their domain, and one they protect fiercely. They will not give it up easily.

A wizard deceased, an outlaw, a poet songstress, and a one-armed warrior monk serve as footholds, becoming our eyes and ears while we encounter stirrings of events hinting at something larger. Unfolding as vignettes and reminiscences, at first they seem unrelated and independent. But then, as though parts of a tapestry, they coalesce into a whole. A reflection of destiny perhaps? The Wheel of Karma? Or simply a guiding hand - unseen, but ever present and always felt.

The centerpiece in this collection speaks of an unexpected challenge. An archery contest wherein past and present collide, and characters are shaped by deed. A final honing which perchance will set the stage for renewed hope and a trust that those who stand together can defeat any enemy, no matter how daunting.

There are many recorded accounts relating to events from that troubled period. From them, one gleans needed lessons and insights as to the nature of humankind, its ambitions, and the unceasing urge to dominate. The issues and questions raised will ring familiar to much of what we see in our own world. How did they handle it on their end? Will their examples speak to us?