Cube of Trevalia (Trevalian Magic, Book 1)

By L.J. Capehart

Danny knows the metal Cube is magic. Of course, when you're only 13, people tend to doubt statements to that effect. The draw the Cube in Uncle Ethan's home has on Danny is irresistable, causing the boy to take matters into his own hands.
When the Cube's magic is activated, not only Danny, but his entire family are pulled into another world.
Trapped in a society they don't understand, running from a madman who covets the power of the Cube, they set out to discover the way back home, finding adventure, excitement, and danger along the way. The question is, can they even get back home, or will they need to adjust to new lives in this place?

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.J. Capehart
• Release date: Jul 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310107092

L.J. Capehart

I love to write.I don't write to make money or become famous. I write because I take great pleasure in the creation of a world, bringing people to life, and finding my way to a happy ending! For me, it's all about the story, not about selling books.It's like magic, to have an entire world in my imagination, then putting it down on paper, to write my way to the conclusion of the story, to cheer when the good guy/s win the day!

Book preview

Cube of Trevalia

By L. J. Capehart

Published by L.J, Capehart at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 L.J. Capehart

Thank you for downloading this e-book. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Names, characters, places, and incidences portrayed in this book are fictitious. Similarities to a real person, alive or deceased, locales, establishments, or events are coincidental and not intended by the author.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the author.

~ ~ ~

To my Daughters-Rachel, Beth, Melissa, and Emily, who have helped and supported me so much in my writing.

Other Books by L.J. Capehart:

Curse of Trevalia

Guardian of Maradon

The Call of Starfire

The Declanite Threat

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Other books by L.J.Capehart

A Note from the Author

With Contact Information

Chapter One

The lake had been calm early in the day, the sky a clear blue. It would have been perfect for fishing. Seth Tucker had been tempted to go out without Jeff but decided it wouldn’t be fair not to wait for his friend to arrive the next morning as they had planned. He had hiked around the lake instead, enjoying the early summer day. Returning for a late lunch of sandwiches and ice tea, he felt a slight regret for the fresh fish he could have been eating instead. After clearing the small wooden table of the lunch dishes, he made a quick trip out to his parked car, bringing in a medium sized metal cube, about double the size of the toaster on the counter. He placed it on the table.

The light in the cabin grew dim as Seth sat studying the strange object in front of him, but he hadn’t noticed, so engrossed was he in attempting to discover a clue to the origin and purpose of the metal cube. He’d been somewhat obsessed with it for most of his life, but he hadn’t found a single clue about its origin or purpose.

A thunderous boom made him jump. The interior of the room lit up as if it was bright daylight. The deafening sound continued for several seconds. He moved to the door, surprised that he hadn’t noticed the approaching storm. The rain hadn’t started yet, but a strong wind blew the bushes and tree branches around in a wild dance, increasing dramatically as he watched. Leaves that had already been loose flew through the air, joined by others torn from branches being tossed about violently.

The tall, slightly husky, 36-year-old raced out to the deck to retrieve two folding chairs before they could be blown away. The strong scent of rain filled the air as he hurried, trying to beat the rain. After carrying them in and closing the door, he absent-mindedly smoothed his brown hair down while he watched the sky light up every few seconds. Large drops of rain pelted the large picture window facing the lake, churning the surface of the water beyond as those first drops became a heavy downpour in seconds.

A sudden change in the air inside the cabin caused Seth to turn back to the table, only to stop, astonished at what he saw. The square, metal box that he’d been studying so intently several minutes ago had undergone a dramatic change.

What had a short time ago been just a silver-gray metallic box with thin, circular disks spaced in five stacks of three decreasing sizes on each side, was now alive with a bright glow. As he watched, unsure of what was happening, small strings of electricity began playing across the surface of the box. They expanded outward, engulfing the small, interior room of the cabin in seconds, surrounding Seth before he could react. He found himself unable to move as they danced around him, causing an unpleasant tingling on his skin. He had the absurd thought that this might be what it would feel like to be inside one of the plasma globes that the kids thought were so cool.

The noise grew in intensity as the light grew brighter. The sound of a strong wind joined the crackle of electricity, as if a storm moved inside the cabin in conjunction with the storm that now raged outside, though there was no sensation of a breeze of any sort.

Seth wanted to run for the door, or throw himself to the floor, but was unable to move. He couldn’t even close his eyes. All he could do was stand and watch as the light and sound became his whole world...

~ ~ ~

The next morning, Seth’s friend Jeff Samuels arrived at the cabin—what was left of it. There was no sign of Seth, and the cabin had been burned almost completely to the ground. Knowing Seth had been there for two days already and seeing that his car was still parked beside the small storage shed where they kept the canoes, Jeff made a thorough search of the area with no results.

After searching everywhere that he could think of, questioning the few distant neighbors, and asking around the town ten miles down the road whether anyone had seen Seth, Jeff notified the sheriff. Since his car was still there and his keys and part of his wallet had been found in the bedroom area, it was a cut and dried case of another storm related death in Sheriff Watkin’s book, with no need for further investigation. He filed the necessary report, dropped the incident from his mind, and went home to help his wife finish packing for their long-awaited vacation.

~ ~ ~

Ethan Tucker, Seth’s younger brother, glanced over at his sister-in-law Kate as they sat listening to the preacher at Seth’s memorial service. Her face was pale, and there were dark shadows under her eyes as if she hadn’t slept for some time. She kept her eyes down, her dark blonde, shoulder length hair partially hiding her expression from him. He could tell she was fighting against tears.

Kate’s son Danny sat between her and Ethan. Her daughter Susan was on Kate’s other side. Kate had an arm around each of them as the service finally ended.

Ethan marveled at the calmness with which Kate faced this ordeal. He stood beside her in the foyer of the church while Kate was kept busy thanking people, accepting hugs and commiseration, as they told her in one way or another how sorry they were. It seemed everyone had good things to say about his brother. Ethan acknowledged introductions but felt intensely uncomfortable. At the best of times, he felt out of place around groups of people, especially when he knew no one. Here among Seth’s friends at the memorial service, all he really wanted to do was run away. He gave an in-audible groan and continued to shake hands and extend thanks for well-meant condolences, determined to stick with his grieving sister-in-law until the end.

He felt relieved when the last person had told the family how sorry they were for their loss and they were able to leave. He drove them back to the house that Seth and Kate had lived in since they got married fifteen years earlier.

As soon as they got there, friends started arriving, many bringing food for the family. Mrs. Stockton from next door took charge, managing everything including feeding everyone who came to pay their respects. Small groups of people sat around telling stories about Seth. Ethan wondered why people always barged in on the grieving family like this so soon after the loss. Glancing over to see Kate talking to Jeff, the man who had discovered the burned cabin, he slipped out the back door to join Danny on the deck.

He leaned his arms on the rail beside his nephew, watching as Danny threw a small rock into Kate’s goldfish pond, not sure how to talk to this ten-year-old version of Seth.

Uncle Ethan? Danny glanced up, then turned back to watch the fish in the pond again. Do you miss Dad?

Yeah. Do you? Well, that was a stupid thing to say. Of course, the kid missed his Dad.

Yeah. Danny reached up with a cuff of his shirt to wipe his eyes quickly. Ethan looked away, pretending he didn’t notice.

Dad was gonna take me fishing next month for my birthday, Danny mumbled. Ethan had to blink away some tears of his own as Danny’s words brought back memories for him.

Your dad taught me to fish when I was little. I was about your age when he went away to college. That’s where he met your mom. The two lapsed into silence. Danny pulled another pebble from his pocket and threw it into the pond. He jumped when Kate cleared her throat behind them, having come out onto the deck without them noticing.

Danny, you and your uncle should come eat. Mrs. Stockton made up plates for you. She refrained from her usual admonition not to throw rocks in the pond.

Ethan straightened slowly and followed, as Kate took Danny’s hand and led him into the house. There were few people left inside now. Several neighborhood women moved around the living room and dining area, gathering dirty plates and glasses. Ethan had a sudden flashback to his mother’s funeral less than two years ago, seeing the living room of the farmhouse in his mind’s eye as women cleaned up there.

Feeling a hand on his arm, Ethan turned and looked into Kate’s eyes, seeing the same pain mirrored there as he felt. Kate hugged him, seeming to sense his painful thoughts. She turned away to make sure Danny ate something rather than sneaking it to the dog next door when she wasn’t looking.

Ethan turned from watching them when someone cleared their throat beside him. Jeff stood next to him.

I have something for you. I, um, found it at the cabin. Jeff reached to pick up a cardboard box from the floor. Kate said I should give it to you, that it used to belong to your dad. Jeff held it out to Ethan. Opening the box curiously, Ethan looked in to see the gray metallic box that Seth had inherited when their dad had passed away three years before, from a heart attack.

Oh. Thanks. Dad found this buried on our farm when he was having a new well dug. Seth was fascinated with it. We never could figure out what it is. Ethan closed the flaps back and set the box on the table.

I wondered if you knew. I’ve never seen anything like it, myself. Strange thing--it didn’t seem at all affected by the fire. Jeff held out his hand. I’m glad I got to meet you, Ethan… just sorry the circumstances aren’t different. Seth talked about you a lot. He was pretty proud of you, you know.

Ethan smiled sadly as he watched Jeff leave.

~ ~ ~

Everyone was finally gone. The house was quiet as Ethan sat alone at the dining room table. He had pulled out the metal box and sat looking at it, remembering all the times he and his brother had played guessing games about what it was. His favorite guess had been that it was left by a time traveler from the future, holding the key to knowing everything that would happen in the coming centuries.

Ethan? Kate came down the stairs. She moved through the living room to stand behind a chair and looked down at him. Are you okay?

Sure. He hesitated a moment, and then blurted out, I’m leaving in the morning. I need to get back to things at home. I left a lot stuff up in the air when I heard... He left the sentence unfinished, still finding it hard to vocalize the loss of his brother.

Kate pulled out the chair and sat down, placing her hand on his.

Ethan, please don’t leave without saying goodbye to us. We’re still family, you know. You spend too much time alone on the farm. Kate saw the look of withdrawal on his face but continued anyway. The only family I knew growing up was my Aunt Ethel. When I married Seth, I was thrilled that I’d gained a brother and parents, as well. Now you and the kids are all I have left. We need each other. Please don’t continue to isolate yourself like you have since your parents passed away.

Ethan heard the pleading in Kate’s voice, and realized she was right. He had isolated himself. His business had filled his time and thoughts to the exclusion of everything else. He spent most of his time in his converted barn, with nothing but machines as companions, running his own software company.

She was right in guessing he intended to leave without saying goodbye, as well. Ethan had told people he loved goodbye far too many times. Goodbyes were not an experience he enjoyed much.

I’ll wait until after breakfast, okay? Ethan promised. Kate studied him intently. Satisfied with what she saw, she stood and said good night, moving on to her bedroom.

After Kate’s door closed, Ethan rose slowly, put the metal cube back in the cardboard box, and left it on the dining table. If he hadn’t been so wrapped up in his thoughts, he might have noticed the faint glow that showed faintly through the cracks in the lid after he turned off the lights and made his way upstairs to the guest room.

~ ~ ~

True to his word, Ethan stayed until everyone had finished eating breakfast. Kate and the kids followed him out to his jeep and stood watching as he put his duffle bag and the box in the back.

Ethan turned to face them, dreading the moment. Kate tried to make it easy, breaking the silence as she hugged him and gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek.

We want you to visit as often as you can, Ethan. You’ll have to come for Thanksgiving. That isn’t very far away. The three of us will love to have you here.

Sure, that would be great. Ethan smiled at all of them and hurried to climb behind the wheel of his jeep. A sudden thought occurred to him as he was about to turn the key.

Kate, will you be able to manage? Financially, I mean? He looked worried, realizing how little he knew about their situation.

Oh, I think so. I’ll have to go back to work, but we’ll be fine. She smiled at him, touched that he’d thought to ask.

Mom and Dad’s house and land are half yours now. You’ll always have a home there if you ever need it... Ethan trailed off into silence, and then started the engine quickly. I’d better get going. I have a long drive ahead of me. If you ever need anything...

Thanks, Ethan. That means a lot. We’ll be fine, I’m sure. Drive safely. Kate stepped back and waved as Ethan put the jeep in reverse and backed out of the drive quickly, not wanting to prolong the goodbye.

As Ethan moved through the busy city streets and onto the highway, he breathed a sigh of relief. Refusing to think about Seth being gone like their parents, he concentrated on some problems he’d been having with a program just before he left. He distracted himself with it most of the way through the eight-hour drive.

Chapter Two

Kate sat looking at the picture of Seth that she held. It had been two years since his death, but she still missed him as if she had just lost him yesterday.

Times like this made her miss him even more. They always talked over problems like this together. Seth came up with solutions that made any situation work out. Sometimes Kate felt like all she wanted to do was to crawl into a corner and cry when the pressure from having to make all the decisions alone got to be too much.

She sighed and returned the framed picture to its place on her dresser. Even when you felt as if your heart was broken, life still went on.

Moving over to the phone on her small desk by the window, she lifted the receiver. There was no use postponing any longer. Deep down, she had already decided that this was the best thing for all of them. It wouldn’t get any easier by waiting. She punched in the number, lifted the receiver to her ear, and listened as it rang...

~ ~ ~

Kate hung up, a relieved look on her face. She hadn’t been at all sure how Ethan might react to the request she had made of him. She had seen some progress with her attempts to build a bridge over the self-made rift he had created around himself, but not enough to give her any assurance that he had honestly meant what he had told her after Seth’s memorial service.

She moved into the living room where Danny was watching TV. Susan sat on the floor wearing headphones, doing her homework.