I enjoyed your story, @iskawrites. I love good dialog. It really carries a story along. But I also love great descriptions like this:

A glow appeared between his palms and grew brighter as he chanted. It was a ball of light, hanging suspended in the air, and it pulsed with a steady rhythm, like a heartbeat.

When the light was bright enough for me to see clearly, he opened his fingers, and the ball of light burst into life. It was a small globe, slightly larger than a marble, and it hung in front of my eyes. It glowed with soft, steady light, illuminating everything around me.

I would have loved to see a scene in which Cordelia and Darian communicate via the orb!