Welcome! This is a rough summary of the first few chapters of each book in the original Waverunners story. ('Course, it wasn't called Waverunners at the time, but the original titles really sucked. =P ) Keep in mind that I came up with all the plot ideas on this page when I was between the ages of 11 and 16, and my writing was obviously not at its best back then. But everything here has potential! I warn you, however, I may change a great deal. Possible changes include replacing or redesigning various characters, and I'm thinking I'll probaby scrap the idea of crossing over to the world of Waterlight from the real world. World-crossing can be done well (for example, Wizard of Oz, Chronicles of Narnia, and multiple anime series like Escaflowne and Fushigi Yuugi), but I don't think there's any way it can work here without ending up completely cheesy. But anyway, it'll be quite a while till I decide what to do with this story, so here's the most current version as it stands now. Enjoy!

Book One begins with Rose and Elizabeth, two young girls who have just finished the last day of school of fifth grade. They go out to the woods behind Elizabeth's house to talk, and that's where the adventure begins. Peering through some bushes, they see a strangley dressed young woman singing to a bird that is perched on her finger. Hearing the girls in the bushes, the bird flies away, and the young woman—acting as if she is somewhere she's not supposed to be—hurriedly draws a circle in the air. The circle becomes a wide, shimmering portal, and she steps through, vanishing. Curious, Rose and Elizabeth follow.

They tumble out onto a beach, and the older girl, whose name is Crystal, seems not at all happy to see them. Apparently she wasn't supposed to be in their world, for just this reason—that someone might see her and even follow her. She introduces herself as one of the Waverunners, the elite royal guard of Waterlight. She tells them she will have to take them to the capital city of Shelor and ask the Riders what to do. (See the Setting page for more information on the Waverunners order.)

On their way to the castle, the three meet up with Matthew, another Waverunner and Crystal's friend, and Andrew, Matthew's young cousin who is Rose and Elizabeth's age. Andrew only recently began training to become a Waverunner. The five of them stop for the night, planning to continue on to the capital the next morning. That night, however, Rose and Andrew can't sleep, so they stay awake and talk. Andrew tells Rose about Ravenia, the evil sorceress who tried to take the queen's life and take the throne many years ago, and how her plan failed and she fled. He also tells how his parents were instrumental in stopping Ravenia, and how his father died and his mother was seriousy injured as a result. It is obvious he bears a serious grudge against Ravenia, despite his young age.

Their conversation is interrupted by voices. They creep over the sand dunes and see two dwarves standing on the beach, talking. The dwarves discuss the search for something called Ulric's Staff, an item Ravenia has sent them to find. Andrew tells Rose to go get the others, and then he foolishly charges down the dunes to try to take on both dwarves himself.

Fortunately, Rose is able to get Crystal and Matthew, who rescue Andrew. But Andrew is pretty well beat up, the dwarves have escaped, and Matthew and Crystal are furious with him for being an idiot. They hurry on their way to the palace to tell the queen what they overheard. Once there, Andrew, whose broken wrist will prevent him from attending training sessions, is put in charge of the two girls while Crystal and Matthew speak with the queen. Andrew tells Rose and Elizabeth that Ulric's Staff is a legendary artifact, left over from the days when there was still magic in Waterlight. If the leader of an army carries the Staff into battle, that army will be victorious. If Ravenia were to find it, it would be disastrous.

It is decided that the Staff must be found, and they can spare no Waverunners to escort the girls back to the portal, let alone figure out how to get them to keep quiet about the link between the worlds so Waterlight can remain a secret. The girls and Andrew are thus confined to quarters until further notice.

A team leaves to hunt for Ulric's Staff, but Andrew and the girls somehow find out that Ravenia has set a trap for them. Rather than tell a Waverunner or a Rider, Andrew convinces the girls that they should go after the team themselves. Although it's a rather foolish plan, they follow Crystal, Matthew, and the other Waverunners on a trek to the north, and toward Ravenia's hidden castle in the Shadisen Woods.

The Waverunner Chronicles ©2001 Amy Unfred