The End's Beginning: Krinics Series: Book 1

By Steven Eutsler

After tumbling down a basement stairway, Allanna Alill awakens on Krinics, an island on a moon orbiting another planet. She has no idea how she got there. All she knows is that she must get home to Earth.

With the help of Pe'Anitia, Snique, and Dazok, Allanna journeys across Krinics. Along the way, they encounter the Rawyn, a group of brutal marauders who believe Allanna is the key to their plans for galactic domination.

On their trek, Allanna finds that more than circumstance brought her together with her companions when they meet a mysterious race of creatures known as the Akha'Zette.

The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.

Daring heroes, malicious villains, and marvelous creatures will transport you to the far edge of your imagination. . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Foremost Press
• Release date: Dec 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781939870223

Steven Eutsler

Steven Eutsler grew up traveling around America always being the quintessential new kid. In his travels, he met a vast array of people and their cultures that have molded him into someone who looks at the ordinary and extraordinary with a unique eye for detail. He served in the U.S. Navy and held various jobs that varied from milkman to electrician. He graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education, focusing on history. His work as a middle school and high school teacher reinforced in him the importance of looking at life in every conceivable way. An outside-the-box-thinking teacher, Steve would show students a new way of learning that was unique to them. It is a lesson he conveys through his writing. A science fiction and fantasy fan from early childhood, Steven has developed his imagination and storytelling while integrating his love of history into his tales. He has been writing for his own love of storytelling since he was fourteen and for twenty-two years has been honing his imagination and storyteller’s voice. Steven lives with the love of his life, Lori, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and is father to three wondrous children. Together they love to travel and experience what the world has to offer, and he infuses his experiences and inspirations into his writing.

Book preview

THE END’S BEGINNING

Krinics Series: Book 1

Steven Eutsler

Published by Foremost Press at Smashwords

Copyright 2015 Steven Eutsler

To Lori, without your love and support, the pages would still be just a blank.

To Hannah and KayLynn, you both are the essence of Allanna.

To Christopher, you will always be my Sniquerdoodle.

Cast of Major Characters

EARTH

Allanna Alill: A spirited and headstrong eighteen-year-old woman

Cosad: Friend of Carl and Penelope living in Cinnenka, Minnesota

Carl: Allanna’s grandfather who lives on a remote island in Minnesota

Haleigh Alill: Allanna’s mother and world-renowned archaeologist

Kal: Engineer of the fishing boat Today in Cinnenka, Minnesota

Penelope: Allanna’s deceased grandmother

Rajah Alill: Allanna’s father and world-renowned archaeologist

Wilbur: Bus driver and pilot in Cinnenka, Minnesota

KRINICS,

an island on a moon that orbits the planet Ramac

Krinicsians: Noble, hard-working people who are the dominant race living on Krinics

Barok: Commander of the Southern Krinicsian Cavalry

Brother Carvel: Monk from the citadel at Ma’lig’nha and mentor to Snique

Dazok: Fearless second-in-command of the Western Krinicsian Cavalry and Snique’s best friend

Filk: Mysterious overseer of the Rawyn and cohort of Sema

Lozanna: Emperor of Krinics and Pe’Anitia’s father

Kazo: Mischievous scout in the Western Krinicsian Cavalry and identical twin of Razo

Krevace: Commander of all the Krinicsian military

Oileh: Sergeant in Western Krinicsian Cavalry

Pe’Anitia Lozanna: Daughter of Emperor Lozanna, Princess, and heir to the throne of Krinics

Razo: Mischievous scout in the Western Krinicsian Cavalry and identical twin of Kazo

Sema: Mysterious cohort of Filk

Snique: Courageous Krinicsian warrior and commander of the Western Krinicsian Cavalry

Vulgus: Commander of the Northern Krinicsian Cavalry

Akha’Zette: Mysterious race of creatures living on Krinics

Fazza’h: Leader and healer of the Akha’Zette and father of Yadot and Yadda’h

Morga’h: Warrior and twin brother to Murga’h

Murga’h: Warrior and twin brother to Morga’h

Yadda’h: Sister to Yadot, and daughter of Fazza’h

Yadot: Brother to Yadda’h, and son of Fazza’h

Yo’ah: Prophet and brother of Fazza’h

Yorra’h: Warrior

Rawyn: Murderous group of marauders living on Krinics

Regneva: Malicious and cruel Rawyn leader

Reralfus: Warrior

Rugo: Warrior

Rup: Warrior

Rysta: Warrior

Forces beyond our knowledge conspire to bring to our land the one who is the harbinger of the beginning’s end. She will come to our shore from a distant land, and her very presence will change forever our destinies; but we must tread lightly upon the path for it is as tenuous as life itself, and if we falter, all is lost for all the generations that follow. . . .

The future is but a step away from becoming our reality. A door in need of a single key to be turned, and she that is the key is coming. . . .

CHAPTER 1

The Summertime Blues

Standing at the end of a short wooden pier on her grandfather’s island, Allanna Alill feels the warmth of the waning day against her back. The air fills her senses with the freshness of the lake, and she catches the faint smell of the fish that huddle under the shadows of the dock. The wooden supports creak in their struggle to remain in place from the constant lashing of the lake’s waves. Her legs attempt to adjust to being back on solid land again, and her body awaits the impending onset of jet lag. She focuses her mind on the events of the past three days in a near futile attempt to dislodge the discomfort brought on by her travels. . . .

* * *

Manhattan, three days earlier . . .

Allanna strolls across State Street as the morning sun begins to reflect off the lower floors of the nearby skyscrapers. She heads for her favorite reading spot in Battery Park with the first book from her summer reading, The Mutants and the Dead Planet, securely tucked under her right arm. Her Skinny Vanilla latte is in her left hand. She prepares herself for a morning of adventure, heroism, and romance before joining her friends for lunch. Sliding her back against the tree, she settles onto the ground. She finds the most comfortable position when her cell phone begins to vibrate in the front pocket of her jeans. In one quick motion, she slides the phone out and looks down, seeing three letters signaling her the morning’s relaxation is at an abrupt end.

They simply read: MOM.

The conversation is brief as Allanna is not able to get much beyond Hello, before her mother tells her she needs her to come home quickly. Allanna heads home and sips her latte sparingly as she hurries along the busy sidewalks. Fifteen minutes later, she is sitting on the couch in the living room. She continues to sip on her now tepid latte, as her mother begins the explanation for interrupting her morning.

Allanna, I have some news for you concerning your summer vacation. Your father and I received a call from the office of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs. They have changed their position, and they have decided to grant approval for resuming the Indus dig. Her mother, Haleigh, struggles to keep her excitement contained because she knows her daughter’s pragmatic mind.

This is the dig you and Dad were on when you became pregnant with me, causing you to leave the dig and field work for positions at the Natural History Museum? asks Allanna, drawing hard on her latte. She mentally toys with the possibilities of a summer in a remote area of the Indus River Valley region of India.

It’s the very one. They have opened a small window of opportunity for us to resume the dig, but if your father and I don’t arrive before the window closes, they will be forced to offer it to other teams. Since we were the ones who began the dig, they’re giving us the opportunity to pick up where we left off when . . . Haleigh pauses. She refrains from saying something that will not be accurate or well received by her daughter.

When what? presses Allanna.

When our situation changed, she answers.

You mean when you had to decide between your field work and your soon-to-be family. You mean me.

Allanna, you know better . . . Haleigh pauses as she centers herself. As I was saying, your father and I will have to depart in the next two days if we are to arrive within the timeframe the Indian government has allotted us. I’m afraid that means you won’t be able to have the exact summer vacation you were planning.

I kind of figured that was where you were going with this, Mom, but giving up a summer in Manhattan for a summer on another continent is a fair trade. She flashes an impish smile.

Oh, Allanna, I wish you could go with us, but the ministry stipulated just our team can go. I’m afraid you can’t go this time, but I have made arrangements for you already.

Allanna cuts her off in a renewed excitement at the possibility of staying at one of her friends’ homes. I wish I could go with you and Dad, but staying with either KayLynn or Hannah would be just fine with me. So which of their moms said yes first? Her hope is short-lived as she sees the look on her mother’s face. Mom, you can’t send me there. Grandfather Carl doesn’t like me. Every time we’ve visited him he ignores me and all but walks through me.

Now that’s not fair, Allanna. He is your grandfather, and he loves you very much. He just doesn’t know how to . . . how to . . . her mother stammers.

How to what? Identify with me? Perhaps that’s because he hardly recognizes me as a living being. He shows the furniture more attention than me.

Well, maybe if you looked more like the ottoman in his den, he’d put his feet on your back, her mother jokes.

I thought she’d have a better chance impersonating the coatrack myself, but of course at five-foot-two, I don’t think our daughter quite has the height to pull it off, her father, Rajah, says as he enters the living room. His Mediterranean olive-skinned complexion contrasts Haleigh and Allanna’s alabaster complexions.

If you two are ganging up on me with your bad humor, I know there’s no point in arguing; but, honestly, he has electricity, running water, and that’s about it. It will be like being transported back to the nineteenth century, Allanna says in mock exasperation.

Oh, come now. It’s not any further back than the fifties, Rajah offers in consolation.

Allanna shoots a sideways glance toward him. When do I leave?

I’ve gotten you a flight to St. Paul for tomorrow, and your connecting flight is arranged from there to Cinnenka. I’ll put it all together for you before dinner. I was thinking we could go to Ninja New York for dinner tonight.

Ninja New York in trade for a trip to Minnesota. I guess I could do worse. Allanna smiles.

Allanna’s foot is on the first stair up to her bedroom when her mother calls after her, Allanna, maybe if you wore your grandmother’s pendant?

Allanna puts her hand to her chest and touches her grandmother’s small silver teardrop-shaped pendant beneath her shirt. I’ll see if I can find it.

The next day Allanna and her parents stand at the security checkpoint in LaGuardia International Airport. Her parents hold Allanna tight. It feels as if they’re saying goodbye for the last time and not just for a few months.

Mom, don’t worry about me. It’s only Minnesota. I mean, I don’t think the Canadians will be invading anytime soon.

Her mother smiles and wipes tears from her eyes. I’m beginning to think our sense of humor is starting to rub off on you. Now get going or you’ll miss your flight.

They exchange an I love you, and Allanna heads into the security line. Allanna’s father waits until his daughter disappears into the throng of passengers. He wraps his arm around his wife’s waist and kisses her. Don’t worry, love. Your dad will keep her safe.

Allanna boards the airplane, finds her seat, and slides her brown shoulder-strapped messenger bag under the seat in front of her. She peers out the window and sees the ground crews flitter this way and that as they prepare the multitude of aircraft for departures and arrivals.

Allanna leans her head back and closes her eyes. The stale air in the cabin hangs on her, and she can almost feel it weighing her down. She silently wishes the flight to go smoothly. Her thoughts fill with dread.

The flight from New York to St. Paul is incident free. Two and a half hours later, Allanna makes her way toward a small terminal on the opposite end of the airport, which is home to the smaller airlines. She glances at the itinerary and looks for K&R Air in the myriad of signs for the different smaller airlines. In desperation, she walks to the end of the concourse and stops. She wonders what she’ll do if she cannot find the airline, then she spies a small stand. It is no more than a fancied-up card table on which she sees a white, handwritten sign that sinks her spirits even further: Alill

She sees her family name on the slightly larger than three-by-five piece of paper with an arrow pointing toward an open door and beyond to a small bus sitting on the tarmac. Allanna rolls her eyes, shrugs her shoulders, and heads through the open door.

Through a window on the bus, she sees her small suitcase already placed on an empty seat. At least I’ve still got my luggage, she thinks in relief.

I’m Allanna Alill, she says to the driver.

Hurry along, now. Take a seat and buckle up. Safety first and all that, says the driver in a rush, as if he had been expecting her an hour earlier.

Allanna enters the bus and takes a seat. Her seat belt clicks, the driver guns the engine, and the bus fills with the smell of burned motor oil funneling through the air vents. The bus begrudgingly lurches forward, and they speed toward the private plane section of the airport.

After reaching the private section of the airport, Allanna steps off the bus. The short bus trip did keep her from worrying about the smaller plane in which she will be traveling. Her worries vengefully return as she sees the plane before her appearing like the poor cousin attending an elegant family gathering.

So, when does the pilot arrive? asks Allanna.

Oh . . . about now, the bus driver answers with a smile. He drops Allanna’s bag on the ground beside her. He begins to massage his lower back, or so Allanna thinks. On an unfortunate closer inspection, she realizes that with each scratch his hand sinks lower below his beltline on the inside of his trousers. His unseen irritation vanquished, the bus driver walks toward the plane. He opens the pilot’s side door, and he glances back toward an open-mouthed Allanna. A mischievous smile plays across his unshaven face. Ready?

Befuddlement seizes Allanna’s mind. You’re the pilot?

You were expecting one of the Wright brothers, perhaps? he asks as he wrangles himself into the pilot’s seat.

Speechless, Allanna slides her luggage into the back seat, climbs into her seat and turns to the pilot, smiling. Ready when you are, Wilbur.

Hahahaha! His laughter echoes through the small plane and drowns out the roar of the engine as it churns to life. He applies the throttle, and they begin to taxi. In short order they are in line for takeoff.

The wheels of the small plane retract as they begin to gain altitude. The pilot looks over briefly at Allanna. Let’s hope the landing gear comes back out for our landing.

Very funny, retorts Allanna.

Who’s joking? A momentary horror grips Allanna until she sees the smirk on his face.

The inside of the plane is immaculately clean, but its cleanliness succumbs to the unmistakable odor of stale alcohol and cigars wafting from the pilot. It also cannot soften the seat’s springs that continually prod and poke Allanna with every bump of turbulence. As much as the springs of her seat shift, their shifting fails in comparison to the shifting of the pilot’s stomach in its reaction to the jostling of the plane. I’m guessing he’s given up on any exercise, except for power-lifting twelve to sixteen ounces at a time, and he smells like a living ashtray, Allanna thinks. The flight lasts only an hour, due to the assistance of a fast-moving tailwind. To Allanna’s immeasurable relief, the pilot’s comment about the landing gear proves to be the joke she originally believed it had been.

The airport in Cinnenka is little more than a gravel runway, reminiscent of the makeshift runways of World War I. Allanna feels the uneven rocks digging into the soles of her purple Converse hi-tops. Silently she curses herself for not wearing a more appropriate pair of shoes for the trip. She looks around and sees that the town consists of a few dilapidated stores and a stone building that has the words Dalen’s Café scrolled across the front door. The town that time wants to forget, she thinks.

Watch out, you’re going to step in . . . shouts the pilot. Unfortunately, it is a step too late as Allanna’s left foot plants itself squarely into a pile of dung. She feels the warmth of the pile begin to filter through the canvas of her shoe, as the pungent odor strikes her in the face.

You . . . have . . . got . . . to . . . be . . . kidding . . . me, Allanna says in perfect unison with the shaking of her shoe.

Cinnenkan landmines, courtesy of one of our local moose. Looks like you were lucky, the pilot says as he studies the moose mound.

Not to be rude, but how exactly is stepping in a pile of moose crap lucky? Allanna manages to get out, and she begins scraping the remainder off her shoe.

It could have been the leavings of an adult. He smiles and continues past her toward a small pier that is home to a fishing boat.

As Allanna shifts her attention to the dilapidated boat, she feels a foreboding mounting in her stomach. She follows the pilot along the small pier, and they approach the boat. The lapping waves obscure the vessel’s name. She focuses intently on the name painted in a greenish-brown color against the yellowed white of the hull. Her face contorts slightly as she attempts to understand the significance of the boat’s name.

Somethin’ the matter there, miss? a raspy voice calls from the open door of the small wheelhouse. The voice belongs to the ship’s captain who is leaning out to watch the approach of his passenger.

"Sorry. What made you decide to name your boat Today?" Allanna regains her composure as she asks the question.

My engineer named her. Sentimental reasons, I guess. That and an enormous amount of tequila impairing my better judgment when he suggested it. He climbs down the ladder and offers his hand in assistance.

I’ve heard tequila has that effect. Allanna accepts his assistance, steps onto the deck and immediately feels the deck swaying with the waves. Allanna . . . Allanna Alill, and you are? she asks, determined to salvage what she can of the experience.

Marty Niph. He takes her suitcase from the pilot. Welcome aboard, Allanna. Don’t worry about your suitcase. I’ll stow it for you. You can head down those steps and relax in the galley. The trip will take about an hour. He gestures to the small set of stairs leading below deck.

Allanna makes it to the steps and realizes she has not thanked Wilbur. She turns and sees he has already crossed half the distance back to his plane.

Don’t worry, you didn’t offend him. He’s just a bit of a pain in the butt, and I should know. He’s been a big pain my whole life, a voice similar to the pilot’s own comes from the bottom of the steps, causing Allanna to jump backward slightly.

Kal, how many times have I told you not to sneak up on people? Marty calls down to his engineer whose shape is nearly the spitting image of his brother.

Sorry, Marty, old habits and all that. Won’t happen again . . . until the next time, o’course.

We ready to get underway, or are you lollygagging down there? I’m sure this young lady would like to get to her destination. He stows Allanna’s suitcase in a small nook next to the opening to the stairs.

We’re ready, but if she knew what was in store for her, she probably wouldn’t be eager. Nasty old codger out there, Kal says, as he disappears back into the engine room.

Allanna repeats Kal’s description of her grandfather under her breath, Nasty old codger.

Marty hears the dread in her utterance and attempts to lessen the tension. I think Kal meant more eccentric than nasty. He does tend to exaggerate. He gestures for Allanna to head below.

She starts down the steps. She can feel the warped steps bow as she passes with each footfall. Entering the galley, doubling as a lounge, she sees a small pile of dirty dishes in the sink. In the opposite corner of the room, near a very old and unsightly TV/VCR combo, there’s a tall stack of magazines and videos meant for a man’s entertainment. Oh . . . dear God, is all she can think.

Allanna slides into the booth at the table and attempts to make herself comfortable. She feels the violent rumble of the ship’s engine awakening. A wall of diesel fumes invades the galley. She grabs the table and prays the engine does not decide to leave the rest of the boat behind. Countless magazines fall to the floor. As she feels the movement of the boat against the waves, she loosens her grip on the table, and her knuckles return to their natural color.

The captain proves to be as good as his promise. In an hour’s time, Allanna watches the boat motor its way back toward Cinnenka as it leaves her alone on the small dock. She turns and looks for her grandfather. Seeing no sign of him, she decides to wait for him at the dock.

CHAPTER 2

What’s Behind Door Number One?

Shadows lengthen as the sun continues to dip deeper under the horizon. Allanna decides that waiting for her grandfather may be the best idea for two very distinctive reasons. The first is her unfamiliarity with the island, since she only visited it once before ten years ago as an eight-year-old girl. The second more immediate reason is the continual memory of Kal’s description, which echoes her own memories and causes apprehension to grip her.

The sounds of the forest around her begin to dwindle with the darkening of the skies, but Allanna is resolute in remaining where she stands. She sees a small note on yellow paper posted to a nearby tree that reads: You’re late.

Allanna shakes her head in disbelief. She thinks, How can I be late? Maybe Kal is right, maybe he is a nasty old codger.

Small lights flicker to life and show Allanna the path toward the house. The temperature begins falling, and she makes her decision to begin down the path.

Allanna trudges along the path for more than twenty-five minutes, and she constantly defends herself against the relentless onslaught of bloodlusting mosquitoes. Her patience begins to ebb away. Her arms itch from the mosquitoes and ache from carrying her luggage. Her toes ache with equal fervor due to countless encounters with roots of the trees and shrubs lining the path. Their roots remain hidden in shadow and seem to lunge out as she passes.

The wind rustles through the branches above her and wafts the pine scent through the air. Somewhere in the distance, an owl gives a melodious hoot. Every step takes her farther into the woods with no sign of life, save for the nocturnal animals.

Allanna begins contemplating a mad dash, putting distance between her and the unseen terrors conjured up by her mind. Her imagination prepares to engulf her, when the path takes a slight turn to the left. In the distance, she sees the first glimmers of light coming from her grandfather’s ranch-style home.

Allanna closes the distance to the front door of the house and feels a silence engulf the air around her. As she reaches