Rinaldo's Quest: A Novella from the World of the Lost Princess

Magic in the Kingdoms of the Chadon operates on a very strict set of rules., Quests especially have guidelines and protocols. When King Harold sets up a quest for his daughter Georgina he expects those rules to be followed, the protocols holding firm. With them in place, he knows no quester will be seriously harmed and that the prince he already selected to win the contest will be triumphant. Unfortunately, questers start dying. It appears the sorcerer in charge of the quest has gone mad. In a panic Harold calls for help. The neighboring kingdom of Theras is worried about the damage a mad sorcerer could do and King Sigmund sends his middle son, Rinaldo to investigate and bring an end to the madness.
Set in the world of the Lost Princess, we see Rinaldo as a much younger man in a series of events that has far reaching consequences.

Valerie Gaumont is an evil genius whose mission is to take over the world. Her latest efforts were thwarted when her flying monkey army discovered beer. Currently they are in Rehab because no one likes a drunk flying monkey. (Thank you for your cards and letters of support.) When she is taking a break from villainy she can often be found with a pen in her hand. Yes, sometimes she is doodling, other times writing fiction and discovering new and interesting ways to combine reality with the outré. She has had short stories in the Violet Ampersand Anthology, Poetry, Prose and Other Voyages to the Edge, and the online Journal, Gothic Fairytales for Melancholy Children. In 2007 she was listed as a finalist in the William Faulkner International Writing Competition in the Novel-In-Progress category.