Courtney Bowen

The Fox Bard Courtney Bowen

This is a prequel of the Legends of Arria series about how Jobe and Paracleus first met, five years before they joined Basha and his friends on their quest for Tau's Cup. A fox learns he's a shapeshifter who can turn into a man or woman, though he prefers to be a man. He's called Paracleus, and becomes a bard to hide his identity. Jobe's the son of a bard named Jaquan and wants to be a bard, too, but Jobe's stuck working in a magical amusement park as a clown instead after a setback. Jobe finds it easier to bear when he performs with a friend, Velmella, but Jobe's infuriated when his boss Dashiel hires the infamous bard Parcleus to sing instead of him. Paracleus fears he might be turned into a sideshow act if his shapeshifting side is revealed. Or worse, he could be captured by the monsters who work for the evil Doomba and be forced to serve him. Paracleus is forced to seek Jobe's help and finds himself drawn to the younger man, wondering if he might have a chance with him. However, both Paracleus and Jobe are endangered when they discover a big, monstrous threat lying underneath the amusement park. With a madcap chase and a final confrontation, can they escape the amusement park and Doomba?