Requiem for Eden: Episode 1: No Good Deed - Inspired by Terry Pratchett's Discworld

By Leigh Barker

Eden - Requiem For Eden: Season 1: Episode 1: No Good Deed.

...Lucid’s invasion has been driven back to the Dark Continent and his attempt to take over The Other Place thwarted, so Eden should be the tranquil haven it was meant to be. If only...

Like the flap of a butterfly’s wing, the storm that threatens to engulf Eden is started by a single, apparently insignificant act.

The icy blast is too much for the old stork delivering her bundles to their new homes. She changes the schedule and delivers them to a Guardian Knight in Trinity. Nobody will ever know.

And now the dark clouds are gathering in the far north, and the Archangel Michael and Magnus Caseus, the Leader of the Senate, watch the Games that mark the graduation of Trinity’s Knight School in the desperate hope they will find a hero to lead their army against the coming hordes.

They need a miracle, but since magic was outlawed by the Senate, miracles have been in short supply.

They think they have found Woe and his sister, Anella — the cuckoos the stork mis-delivered — to fill the hero vacancy. But they have no idea just what they have found.

And the Norsemen are coming.

Quick Review
...“This was such a great read! Witty and light hearted but still full of meaning. Sir Terry would be proud.”

A note from Call to Action Publishing:
No one can match the great Terry Pratchett stories, but Eden was inspired by his Discworld novels. Requiem for Eden is an adventure in 10 1-hour episodes. Each one a complete story with a beginning, middle and end - and a cliff-hanger, in the true tradition of the Matinee genre.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leigh Barker
• Release date: Jan 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310914393

Leigh Barker

Leigh was born in Dudley in the middle of England. He has been a merchant seaman, a (useless) electronics salesman, a programmer, and a business analyst. And now he is a full-time writer, but that doesn't make him a bad person.He is presently writing 4 series:Clan, following the adventures of Calum Maclean as he tries to avoid the Bonnie Prince but still protect his beloved Highlands.The Hellfire Legacy Series follows US Marine Master Sergeant Ethan Gill and his team as they take on the jobs too hot for other special forces. They go where they're sent; South America, Middle East, Korea, but their most dangerous missions are on US soil.Volume #1: A Whisper of ArmageddonVolume #2: The Hellfire LegacyVolume #3: The Orpheus DirectiveEden, a three-volume series -Trinity is at war with Lucid, the son of Lucifer, and he will do whatever it takes to win. The Archangel Gabriel has an army but he needs more. He needs heroes, but they are few and far between. Which is why he gets Dylan and co. Not too much luck in Heaven then.Volume #1: Eden's Last HeroVolume #2: WinterwoodVolume #3: Requiem for Eden.Soldiers is set in 1914 and follows John Regret and his 12-man squad on their suicidal mission to find and destroy the German howitzer nicknamed Big Bertha. Find it before it drops it's thousand-pound shells on the allied army retreating across France. A seemingly hopeless mission that just cannot fail.Other occasional series include:Anarchy, the 'completely true' stories of men doing what men do when there's nobody to keep them in check. Create mayhem and behave like monkeys on speed.Coffee Break Reads - each issue has 5 stories short enough to read while taking a break from life. A mix of adventure, love, disaster, and fun. All with one thing in common; for a moment they transport the reader to another world.Episode 1 of each Season is free and can be picked up with other free books at:https://leighwbarker.com/my-library/Just copy the link above and paste it into your browser and you're there...

Book preview

Requiem for Eden

Season 1

(Episode 1)

Leigh Barker

No Good Deed

Sometimes Life Can Get Weary

Gabriel stood in the palace garden and watched the tree of life, as if he expected it to do something other than be happy for its existence, even if that existence was… well, a bit boring.

He’d spent many hours in this garden since the Sodom and Gomorrah incident. Generally folks say happy hours, but what the weeding had done to his back was nobody’s business—suffice it to say it had given him some serious jip. But now Michael had forgiven his little, err, S&G indiscretion, shall we say. Overzealous smiting could happen to anyone.

The reason for his interest in the life tree would have been a mystery to anyone passing by. After all, it wasn’t anything special, and there were far more interesting and flowery woody perennials dotted around the garden, but to another archangel it would have been obvious. The hint is in its name. Point being, it wasn’t—living, that is. Well, okay, it was a bit, but straggly and decidedly pathetic, and it was supposed to be the most important plant in the extensive garden. Gabriel was not a happy bunny.

He crossed the neatly trimmed lawn and poked the tree with his broadsword—as if threatening it with a good stabbing would perk it up. When no sudden revival ensued, he turned on his heel and strode along the gravel path towards the arched doorway, his black robe billowing and looking suitably dramatic.

The life tree watched the archangel go with relief and sore ribs. What kind of gardener pokes you with a sharp metal thing? And when you’re feeling like… well, a bit lifeless, actually. Not an easy task, you know, being a life tree. Big responsibility, especially since he was the only one, which in itself was a bit sad. Nobody to talk to, nobody with anything worthwhile to say, that is. The life tree sighed through its dried leaves. Well, there’s that tall, bushy thing over there, but she’s totally up herself, and boring, oh, boring. Who cares about squirrels?

The life tree’s branches sagged a little more. And Eden took another tiny step towards oblivion.

Good Intentions Pave the Road to Hell

The old stork was tired, and frankly she was a bit fed up, what with all this flying about for no good reason. And the name the others had given her and her clan really got up her nose: The idiots who carry those screaming, smelly bundles. Of course, the others said it in Storkish, so this has to be a rough translation, though it’s near enough.

Truth be told, today the two bundles she was carrying were extra smelly and noisy, and the constant screaming and gurgling was so irritating. The sooner she dropped them off, the better. Then home for a nice fish and frog supper. Yeah right, fat chance, with Him At Home doing the hunting. He’d be off with his layabout friends sunning themselves on the lakeshore. Typical.

The storm was getting worse, if that was possible. The wind howled around her, and the rain was turning to hailstones the size of… ah, hailstones. Which also showed that all the noise and being thrown about was affecting her ability to… that thing that you do in your head… think? Yes, think.

A vicious gust of wind caught her and