Synopsis

Bohan, a king, is at war with Jerado, an evil wizard who controls four neighboring kingdoms. Bohan, his wizard, Ansgar, and his guards are trapped in a cave by Jerado who magically seals the cave. Ansgar casts a sleep spell on all of them. It will last until the cave is unsealed.

More than 200 years later, an earthquake unseals the cave and frees Bohan. While catching up on history, he learns Jerado is still alive and rules the country as dictator. Bohan learns this from a sympathetic constable named Leticia. After talking to Bohan and his guards, she recognizes him from school lessons as the King Who Disappeared. Bohan determines to go to the capital, Dun Hythe, and gain revenge. Leticia promises to go with him to find out what happened to her father who was arrested and disappeared.

Jerado learns that Bohan is still alive and headed to confront him. He tells Lithgow, his son, and Flavia, his daughter about Bohan. Lithgow is the War Minister and Flavia the Minister of the Interior. They hate each other and each plans to succeed their father when he retires.

Jerado orders Lithgow to use his soldiers to block and kill Bohan. Flavia, who also has troops, decides to kill Bohan before Lithgow can. Bohan and his guards, all heroes, brush past Flavia’s soldiers and route Lithgow’s. Jerado now orders Lithgow’s troops to seal all the city’s gates and search everyone entering the city.

Meanwhile the citizens in Dun Hythe are suffering from Jerado’s rule and from Flavia’s imposition of lower wages to raise profits for the many businesses she controls. The wage restrictions impact on the Godmother’s bottom line. She is the head of a crime family who controls all vice in the city. She is also the head of the two largest and most powerful labor guilds, the teamsters and the dock workers. With Flavia’s wage restrictions in place the citizenry does have any money to have fun in the Godmother’s saloons or gambling halls. Also the workers don’t make enough money to feed their families.

Jerado’s Treasurer, Maurice, learns a few of Jerado’s family secrets. He knows how Flavia embezzles vast amounts of money from the contracts she gives out. Maurice learns about Bohan and the attempts to kill him. These and a few other secrets ensure his early death if Jerado ever finds out what he knows. Maurice meets with the Godmother and they agree to help each other for their mutual protection.

Now close to Dun Hythe, Leticia agrees to enter the city and scout it out. Hopefully she can find a way for Bohan to enter the city. She also wants to meet with the Godmother because her father was once a high-ranking official in the dock workers guild. Leticia hopes the Godmother can find out where her father is.

Within the city, rumors swirl about the reappearance of the King Who Disappeared. The Godmother ignores the rumors and is stunned to learn from Leticia that Bohan is really alive and outside the city. After a lively discussion, The Godmother agrees to smuggle Bohan into the city in return for a guarantee from Bohan for protection for her business.

Bohan and his mates enter the city by boat in the middle of the night and meet with the Godmother and Maurice who tells Bohan the layout of the palace and how to sneak into it. To make a distraction, the Godmother will call a city-wide general strike to coincide with Bohan’s attack on Jerado.

Bohan and Ansgar sneak into the palace at night with Maurice in the lead. Leaving Maurice behind, they advance into the living quarters and confront Jerado. A confusing battle ensues as the two wizards throw spells at each other. Using Ansgar’s spell as a distraction, Bohan gets close enough to Jerado to use his sword on the wizard thus gaining revenge.

With Jerado out of the way, Bohan arrests Lithgow and Flavia, proclaims himself king and agrees to work with the Godmother, orders a wage increase for all the workers.

Everyone is happy except Jerado’s children who must perform menial work for the rest of their lives.

Excerpt

Backstory: Jerado is the antagonist and a wizard. Over time, he’s conquered all the small kingdoms and dukedoms in the land and now rules Gundarland as President for Life. Remy is his personal assistant. He is a halfling who Jerado found on the side of the road as a newly-dead victim of robbers. Jerado reanimated Remy to serve as cheap help.

In order to appear accessible, President Jerado began a process that allowed citizens to petition for a short private audience with him.  Applicants could apply for an audience once every two weeks.

To ensure that no one was ever granted an audience, Jerado put Remy in charge of the interview process.

Remy entered the interview room on the first floor of the Presidential Palace.  Along the way, he walked past two pike carrying guards.  The small, drafty room was lined with benches on three sides broken only by the door the petitioners used.

Remy walked to the desk in the front of the room and sat down. At Jerado’s insistence that he look presentable, he wore a rust-colored robe over his threadbare, heavily patched clothes. He glanced around. Most of the applicants had been here a few times before.  He noticed two new ones and pointed a finger at one. The man moved forward and stood by the desk.

Remy questioned the man and wrote his name and address on a sheet of paper.  He wrote the runes very slowly and precisely, more slowly than he normally would. The objective of the process was to get people to leave in disgust because of the delays.

“W . . . hat do you want to talk to the President about?” Remy asked.

“I’ve developed a way to make inexpensive cloth. I want to build a factory and I’ll need steam engines. If I can get the President’s approval, I’ll be able to get bank loans and the steam engines.”

Steam engines, recently developed, were a government monopoly.

“H . . . have a seat. Next?”

A young dwarf presented himself in front of the desk. After stating his name, he said, “I just graduated from college and I’m hoping for a job.”

“W . . . what did you study?”

“Art and literature.”

“W . . . hat type of job are you looking for?”

“I don’t care. Anything that pays well and has decent hours.”

“H . . . ave a seat.” Remy picked up the two applications and started to stand when the door burst open and a tall, obese man in a green cassock entered. “I demand an audience with the President.” He strode to the desk and glared at Remy. “Immediately. I’m a busy man.”

“N . . . ame?”

“I am Bishop Connors of the Snotish Church. Where is the President?”

“W . . . hat do you want to see him about?”

“I don’t discuss church business with minions. Are you dead?”

“I . . . ‘ve been dead for a long time.”

“The Snotist Church has vowed to destroy abominations like you.”

“Th . . . ank you for sharing that. W . . . hat do you wish to discuss with the President?”

The bishop growled under his breath and said, “I wish to build a temple in town and it’s the government’s job to fund the construction.”

Remy wrote the information on a paper, stood up and left the room.

He went to his office on the fifth floor. Sitting at his desk he filled out two forms and then played a few games of Tic-Tac-Toe. Playing the “X’s”, he lost a seven game tournament four games to one.

After a while, he returned to the room and pointed to three folks who had been there before. “T . . . he President has denied your requests for audiences. You may leave.”

He beckoned to the inventor and said, “H . . . ere is an authorization to buy steam engines. T . . . his is a grant of twenty-five silver pennies to help you along.”

“What about me?” the bishop demanded.

“T . . . he President is considering your request. H . . . e wants to see a plot plan and an estimate of construction costs.”

“What! I don’t have either of those documents.”

“W . . . ell, you have two weeks to get them before the next audience session. O . . . therwise, your audience request will be denied.”

Remy then announced, “The President will not hold any audiences today. P . . . lease leave and return in two weeks if you wish.”

‘More bureaucratic nonsense.” The bishop took a step toward the door by the guards. “Where is he? I’ll see him now.”

“T . . . he guards will prevent you from passing through the door.”

“Nonsense! I’m a bishop. My person is inviolate”

“G . . . o near the door and the guards will use their pikes. T . . . hey don’t care who you are.”

The bishop left, barging past the folks crowding around the door.

Remy watched him and grinned. He planned to jerk the bishop around for months; the young college graduate not so long.

Remy loved his job.

About the Author

Hank Quense writes satirical fantasy and sci-fi. Early in his writing career, he was strongly influenced by two authors: Douglas Adams and his Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Joesph Heller’s Catch-22. Happily, Hank has never quite recovered from those experiences.

He lives with his wife in northern New Jersey, a mere 20 miles from Manhattan, the center of the galaxy (according to those who live in Manhattan). They have two daughters and five grandchildren all of whom live nearby.

For vacations, Hank and Pat usually visit distant parts of the galaxy.  Occasionally, they also time-travel.

Besides writing novels, Hank lectures on fiction writing, publishing and book marketing. He is most proud of his talk showing grammar school kids how to create a short story. He used these lectures to create an advanced ebook with embedded videos to coach the students on how to create characters, plots, and setting.  The target audience is 4th to 7th graders.  The book’s title is Fiction Writing Workshop for Kids.

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Giveaway

The King Who Disappeared is a new satiric fantasy novel that will be published on April 15 in print and ebook editions.

The novel will be sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and many other online book sites.

On March 15, The author, Hank Quense, will hold a random drawing to give away 10 ebook copies of the novel.  To enter the drawing, all you have to do is subscribe to his quarterly newsletter.  You can subscribe to his quarterly newsletter and find out more on the #Giveaway here or click on the image below.