Storm Clouds

By M.E. Sutton

Eighth-grader Jaycee Hiller is beginning to fear she only imagined her trip to Mallory. But when a rainy afternoon leaves her with hours of playing Hero’s Sword, her favorite video game, she finds herself drawn back into the game – literally.

In Storm Clouds, the second book in the Hero’s Sword series, a valuable jewel belonging to the neighboring estate of Devin, the Sapphire Star, is missing, stolen at the Fall Consortium. Lady Starla stands accused of the theft. Devin’s demands are clear: return the Star or they will take it back by force.

Now it’s up to Lyla Stormbringer to find the Star and the thief. before Mallory finds itself at war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M.E. Sutton
• Release date: Sep 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310127380

M.E. Sutton

Mary has been making up stories, and creating her own endings for other people's stories, for as long as she can remember. After ten years, she decided that making things up was far more satisfying than writing software manuals, and took the jump into fiction. She writes the HERO'S SWORD middle-grade fantasy series as M.E. Sutton and finds a lot of inspiration in the lives of her own kids. A lifelong mystery fan, she also writes crime fiction, including THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS MYSTERIES, under the pen name Liz Milliron. Her short fiction has been published at Uppagus.com, Mystericale.com, and in LUCKY CHARMS: 12 CRIME TALES (December 2013). Like her LAUREL HIGHLANDS characters, Mary lives in Southwestern PA (but, unfortunately, she doesn't have a dog). She is a member of Sisters in Crime. Visit her on the web at http://marysuttonauthor.com and follow her on Twitter (@mary_sutton73).

Book preview

STORM CLOUDS

Hero’s Sword Vol. 2

by M.E. Sutton

Smashwords edition

Also available in print

Copyright 2015 Mary Sutton

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Other titles by M.E. Sutton:

Power Play

Wedding Bliss

Snake in the Grass

Fire Storm

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

About the Author

Also available

CHAPTER ONE

Kids milled all around me, excited babble filling the air. The last bell of the day rang, signaling our release. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and shut my locker. Someone banged into me, sending me to my knees. Watch it, dorkface.

Trina Poppelman’s sparkly pink backpack bounced in front me as she walked to the door with her cheerleader buddies. I wished I had my bow so I could sink an arrow into the stupid, silver T decorating the bag.

Okay, I don’t really have a bow. Not in this world, anyway.

My name is Jaycee Hiller. I play this game called Hero’s Sword. A few weeks ago, I was actually transported into the game and became my avatar, Lyla Stormbringer. I had a sword, and a bow, and went on a quest to protect the lady of the estate of Mallory. Then I came back.

If that sounds confusing to you, imagine how I feel.

I got to my feet and brushed off the knees of my jeans. When I’d returned from Mallory, I’d been inspired to stand up to Trina for a while. Well, maybe for a day. Okay, a lunch period. But now I was back to my usual routine at Tanner Middle School - namely, trying to hide.

Hey Jaycee, I think you dropped this.

I turned my head, and my heart relocated itself to somewhere in my throat. Nate Fletcher, who has been my secret crush for, like, forever, stood there with my zippered pencil case, black with the Hero’s Sword logo, in his hand. Thanks, I said. Was my voice always that squeaky? I tried to think of something cool or funny to say, but my mind was as blank as a freshly cleaned whiteboard.

Well, have a great weekend. Nate waved and headed for the front doors with everyone else.

The mass of kids around me had thinned. Yeah, have a great weekend, I said. See you on Monday. Did I mention I like your hair?

Now that Nate was gone, a million things I could have said crowded my brain. Great timing, as always.

Uh, Jayce, who are you talking to? My best friend, Stu Porter, was standing beside me looking concerned.

I stuffed the pencil case in my open bag. Nobody. Nate Fletcher, but he’s gone. Tell me, what are you doing this weekend?

I walked through the front doors, Stu at my side.

"My mother says if I don’t get the grass cut ‘this very weekend,’ she will ban me from Hero’s Sword until I do, Stu said, his face sorrowful. His red hair blazed in the sun, making it look like his head was on fire. And she says I have to help her clean and close the pool, which is going to be completely gross."

I patted him on the shoulder. Look at it like a quest. Fearlessly battling an evil slime monster threatening to consume the Empire.

Stu chuckled. We always walked home from school together, at least as far as the turn onto my street. We chatted about Hero’s Sword and our fantasies of defeating cheerleaders for the entire walk.

I waved to Stu, walking backwards as I started down my street. See you online this weekend?

If I get all my chores done, sure. Wish me luck.

I waved in response, turned, and jogged the rest of the way to my house, your typical suburban deal with a neat front yard. I wished I was allowed to cut the grass. With my luck, my mother would have something else in store for me, something exciting like polishing the silver.

Hey Mom, I called as I stepped inside. She was in the dining room, counting out her fancy china and silverware for the party she was hosting tomorrow. I tried to sneak upstairs.

Jaycee, come in here please, Mom said as I placed my foot on the stairs.

I groaned inside. This would not be good.

I wasn’t wrong. Yeah, Mom? I stood in the doorway, as if that would protect me from what came next. Fat chance.

You know my book club is meeting here tomorrow, and I need help getting ready, she said. I’ll wash the china. Get the silver polish from the kitchen and get to work, please. She pushed the box containing her good silver toward me.

I dropped my backpack. Why can’t you use the every day stuff? I gave her my best sullen look.

Because I only host once a quarter, and there’s no reason not to use the good silver, Mom said. I know it’ll interfere with your precious video game time, but really, you’ll have all weekend for that. Now go.

I grabbed the box and stomped off to the kitchen. This would take forever.

Polishing the silver to Mom’s satisfaction took almost three hours. Throw dinnertime in there, and I didn’t get a chance to boot up my game console until close to 9:00. I pulled out my black Controllix, my hands almost numb from polishing silver. The only thing that had gotten me through it was visualizing polishing my sword to perfection every time I grabbed a new piece of silverware. The knives were especially satisfying.

Nobody would be online at this hour. I skimmed through the list of players, looking for someone I knew. But there was no one, not even Stu although I knew he often played late. He either hadn’t finished his work, or he was totally wiped out.

I wouldn’t be looking for players if you’d just take me back to Mallory, I said, punching the Controllix’s buttons with a little more force than necessary. The lights just blinked merrily, yellow and green, reminding me of the way the lights blinked on our Christmas tree - random and meaningless.

Maybe I hadn’t really gone to Mallory. Maybe I’d imagined it, or it had been a really vivid dream. But then I looked down at the thin, white line on my upper arm, the healed mark from a wound I’d gotten in a sword fight.

No, my trip to Mallory had been real. It had to have been, or else I was losing my mind. But as I ran around the world of Hero’s Sword, fighting minor skirmishes, trading goods and visiting neighbors, it became clear that the only