Luke Brackins and the Rune to Midgard

By Daniel Caton

This fantasy novel revolves around the new kid in town, Luke Brackins. The small town of Galeswood, West Virginia teaches him small town values. He learns the value of family, friendship, and helping your neighbor. However, he also finds that making friends is rather difficult. Luke, being the new kid, small, and athletically challenged makes him an easy target.

After he fails an attempt to make the local football team. He finds a rather mysterious book locked to a jewel. The jewel would soon uncover a world full of adventure and intrigue. As it unlocks the world of Midgard!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9781468574944

Daniel Caton

Daniel is currently a Senior at Bluefield State College. Where he majored in Social Science. He specialized in History and Political Science. Daniel has been an avid reader of fantasy novels since his youth. He draws inspiration for his vivid world from the wonderful landscape of West Virginia.

Book preview

LUKE BRACKINS

AND THE RUNE TO MIDGARD

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DANIEL CATON

www.runestomidgard.com

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AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2012 by Daniel Caton. All rights reserved.

Edited by Alicia Sparks

www.writingspark.com

Illustrated by Brookie Harding

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any

means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/11/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7496-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7495-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7494-4 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012905629

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this

book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed

in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the

publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

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PROLOGUE

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BRIGHT, BEAMING RAYS of light ascend the cliff, awakening a beautiful hawk. Like a signal, the light bounces off the washing tide below, sending the bird of prey swooping from her nest and diving toward the water below. She brings her flight level, just out of reach of the crashing waves, before heading inland toward the glittering sands of a long stretch of beach. She’s ready for her breakfast.

The gorgeous creature soars above the canopy of treetops as the brimming sun reflects the morning’s glow. As she flies higher, the land begins to shift. This mornings’ hunt takes the hawk’s search further inland than normal and as the morning mist curls into the air and disperses, she glides over steep cliffs and snowcapped mountains she rarely ever visits.

Soon, the hawk realizes her stomach is no longer the pressing matter. Her keen senses feel misplaces and interrupted, as this is no ordinary trip for sustenance. Descending a narrow mountain pass while peering into the valley below, she realizes why her senses are awry: something is nestled at the base of the foothills. Although the valley stretches vastly across the horizon, the hawk can’t quite make out what’s going on. Curious, she climbs to a new height to get a better view of the commotion below.

The hawk sees a massive collection of armies encamped at the base of the valley. She hears blacksmith hammers echoing the toils of their workmen’s labor, chatter amongst the soldiers, and even an odd silence creeping in and out of the noise—a silence she thought underlined what was to come. The sparkling sun glistened off the soldiers’ armor and the hawk glides down for a closer look.

Now, she sees a multitude of different races: Man, Dwarf, and Elf all gathered together readying for the battle to come. The hawk swirls her wings, stirring a mighty gust, and ascends into the air. She floats midair, peering across the valley, until her bright orange eyes settle on a different kind of armor. Along the rolling stretch of grass another compendium of warriors were awaiting the coming battle: Orc, Goblin, Troll, and Dra’Cul, the morning sun gleaming off their weapons while malicious grins spread across their faces.

The hawk could not spy far enough to count their numbers, and her senses tingled with fright. Her initial response was to flee this place, yet her heart yearned to help the smaller numbers of Man, Dwarf, and Elf. She flapped her wings to gain altitude as she listened to the bang of drums resonating from the horde of monsters below. Screams of villainous rages, laughter over coming death, and the serene joy brought forth by the thought of spilled blood filled the air as the army marched forward. She turned her head to the smaller army as it gathered for the coming onslaught. Its numbers were fewer than the monsters below; her heart sank at the realization. The rising sun was now close to the middle of the sky. Mid-day had approached.

Both armies broke into stampedes of sword, axe, and bow. Screams echoed off the hills surrounding the valley. The hawk, flooded with emotion, dived into battle…

~*~*~

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CHAPTER 1

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BANG! CRACK!

UHMPH! was all that came from Luke’s mouth before his lips lay slack. He stared up at the noon sun.

Brackins! Get up! I’m not here to baby-sit! Coach Valentino yelled.

Luke, dazed and confused at what just transpired, rolled over to his stomach; he was barely able to lift himself from the ground.

I’m going to die. There is no way I’m going to make the team… Dad’s gonna flip, Luke whispered to himself as he straightened his football pads.

The host sun beamed down his dirty neck as sweat beads poured from his brow. His emerald green eyes blinked at the sky, again and again, as he rolled over to pick himself up. The other players were laughing at him. Luke was the smallest player; thus, an easy target to pick on. Actually, by football standards, Luke Brackins was more than just small; he was practically tiny. He weighed only one hundred and thirty pounds and his bony arms and legs hung under his football gear like twigs. The other boys had nicknamed him Scrawny, Pansy, and Spazz. Not to mention, he was abundantly less coordinated, which caused him to struggle even more where athletic pursuits were concerned.

Luke was still dizzy from his last hit, yet when Coach yelled, Forty-four long trap! Line up and no mistakes this time! Luke got into his position on the defensive line and let out a small gasp for air.

One of the seniors yelled down to him, Luke! I’ma hit you so hard; we’ll have to send you home in pieces!

Luke looked back down at the senior and replied, Mark! This time, remember I’m on your right—not your left! The other players cackled at the reply. Mark wasn’t the brightest kid on the team. Luke gulped silently. On top of being just a freshman, he was a new kid altogether. Luke didn’t really get along with his mother’s boyfriend, and once she decided to marry the guy, he decided to move in with his father and grandmother. He’d just gotten into town over the summer. So, now he found himself the new story in town and, unfortunately, the new target of every bully in town as well.

Hike!

Luke looked up for the quarterback and rushed forward. Great idea, Dad. Try out for the football team to make some friends. More like, try out for the football team . . . and get killed . . . he thought to himself as he gained momentum. Just when he felt a faint hint of confidence, he saw Mark bowling his way. Mark, who outweighed the miniscule Luke by forty or fifty pounds of rock-solid muscle, unloaded on Luke and sent him flapping through the air.

The familiar UHMPH! billowed out of his lungs as he landed flat on his back. The sun pierced down on him again. The whistle blew, but Luke couldn’t focus on anything but his spinning head. Laughter filled the field as the other kids noticed Luke was only semi-conscious.

The whistle blew again and, fortunately, Coach Valentino yelled out this time. That’s all boys, hit the showers! Cut slips are in your lockers. For those of you who didn’t make the team this year, don’t give up. Keep at it and give it a shot next year. Now get in there. The weight of his pads caused Luke to stumble as he stood up and he’d just regained his balance when the team captain, Ian Harper, instructed the team to put their hands together.

‘Win’ on three! Harper yelled. One, two—

The collective WIN! was deafening.

As the other players pushed and laughed at him, Luke bumbled along, making his way to the locker room. He knew what was waiting for him in his locker; there was no use trying to shower. This experiment to make friends was botched. As he went over explanations to give his dad in his head, he heard someone bellow out from behind him.

Luke, dude, that was hilarious! Someone put his arm around Luke’s neck. He looked over his should as the guy continued. Mark’s a complete mole-hole. That took some guts to rag him like that in front of everyone. It made him look like the moron he is, said the boy. Like the rest of them, he also was quite bigger than Luke.

Luke realized the kid lived two houses up from him. His name was Matthew. Matt was a hulk for a kid his age. He stood around six feet and weighed a solid one hundred and seventy pounds. He had dark eyes and a real honest, cheerful smile.

Uh, thanks I guess, Matthew, Luke replied.

Dude, just call me Matt. You sound like my mom, Matt said, and laughed.

Oh, sorry, okay, Luke quickly replied as the two boys walked off the field.

So, how ya likin’ it so far? Matt asked as they walked.

It’s okay, Luke robotically answered.

Liar! Matt called him out. Dude, really, I know how it is. I just moved here a couple of years ago and I hated it at first. Luke, knowing what Matt said was the truth, couldn’t help but laugh. Matt grinned and began laughing with him.

On the way to the locker room, they passed cheerleading practice. The sun still beamed down and highlighted all the features every teenage boy required in a good cheerleader fantasy: long and toned, tanned legs; silky, shiny hair; straight, bright white teeth outlined by glossy pink lips. Luke and Matt stared, dumbfounded, until the cheerleaders began laughing at their stupid gawks. Their spell was broken.

The boys jerked their heads forward and then realized they were the only ones still wearing their helmets.

Derrrrrrrr, Luke grumbled aloud as he snapped off his helmet; Matt followed his lead. Luke’s shaggy brown hair flopped over his vivid green eyes. Despite having a helmet as an excuse, no one would ever tell the difference between his normal hair and helmet hair anyway.

Perfect, Luke said slyly. Matt laughed; his hair was the same as it ever was. Matt kept his coal black hair in a nice tight fade, so the helmet really never did much damage.

Hair and size weren’t the only differences between the two boys. Unlike Luke, Matt had put in some time at a weight room. His arms and even his neck were more toned than normal for someone his age. He also had tanner skin than Luke’s, but Luke didn’t know if that was natural or if Matt hit a tanning bed after practice, too.

As the boys entered the locker room, Matt signed and looked at Luke. Don’t sweat it, dude, he told him. Luke just shrugged and made his way to his locker. He opened it and there hung the red tag. Luke just grabbed it and took his pads off.

I guess Coach has a No Spazz Policy! howled Mark, looking over at Luke’s locker. The guys in the locker room erupted with laughter.

Luke didn’t even bother to look back and coolly said, Yeah, too bad he doesn’t have IQ requirements, too, right Mark? The laughter doubled at Luke’s response. Mark’s face went red as Luke got up and walked out of the room; he figured he’d better get out of there before Mark decided to punch him.

As he walked out of the gym, Luke heard Brackins! He turned to see Coach Valentino.

Yeah, Coach? Luke asked. He was confused. What could Coach possibly want with me?

Brackins, you got heart kid. If only your body was as big as your heart, I could have WVU down here looking at you! Coach and Luke both laughed. Listen, son, keep at it. You just need some time to grow a bit. I want you to try out again next year. We could have you on Junior Varsity and then get you in the weight room. You’d be Varsity by your junior year.

Luke was astonished; he thought he was horrible at football. Er… ’kay, Coach, he said, looking at his feet.

Um, son… Why didn’t you shower? Coach asked when the stench of blood and sweat reached his nose.

The question caught Luke off guard and he blurted the truth before he could think of a better story. Er, um… I had to get home early today. I have to think of what to tell Pops.

Coach Valentino looked Luke in the eyes and nodded. Your ol’ man’s a good man, Brackins. You’re over thinking it. Tell ’im I said hi, the coach added. Luke forced a crooked smile and began his walk home.

He had only lived in Galeswood, West Virginia for a little longer than a month but had never taken the time to enjoy the new environment. He and his mother had lived together in Tampa. The city life was nice—not to mention the weather. Yet, despite living in Florida, Luke was a homebody and his skin was shockingly pale.

Galeswood, West Virginia, Luke thought and laughed to himself. It was a quaint place to live; offered small-town life with small-town values. Luke had never really witnessed anything like it—a place where everyone knew everyone. Everyone knew him and his family long before he knew them. It was odd. Even as he thought about how his football coach knew his dad and the warm feeling of familiarity that brought, it was still odd.

Luke walked along the sidewalk and thought about how all the houses were similar in design. This was thanks to the old coal companies that previously owned them. All of the houses were neat and uniform, each one with two stories and an A-frame roof. Luke couldn’t help but love the mountains that now surrounded him. Flat land just didn’t suit him, no matter how long he’d called Florida his home. He might spend his days getting picked on by his peers, but he did enjoy the landscape. The lush green leaves draped from the trees would soon be rainbow colored, and Luke imagined the magnificent mountains would be like an escape for him.

Luke finally made it to his house; he could smell the dinner his grandmother was already preparing. Before rushing in, he stopped to look at her house. Granny K’s home was just like all the rest of the houses on her street, except her porch had a nice swing on it where she would read and sip iced tea. The main difference in eating here and with his mother was simple: no more frozen tv dinners! Oh, how he loved home-cooked meals by Granny K.

He opened the fence gate and jogged up the steps to open the front door. The smell of love wafted past his nostrils.

Granny, I’m home! he yelled, stepping out of his shoes.

Go wash up, hun, supper will be ready in a bit, Granny replied as she put some cornbread in the oven. His grandmother was old, but only her gray hair and thick spectacles gave her age away. She never smoked in her life, never enjoyed anything unpropper, and preferred drinking iced tea and reading books to any other way of passing time. Granny K was tall for a lady—around five feet, eight inches or so—and she always wore some sort of nice dress, even to clean house. An old locket from her late husband never left her neck.

Luke sneaked a peek into the kitchen and saw his grandmother look up from the oven. Dear Lord, Luke, you’re dripping blood all over my floor! she cried. Luke grabbed a napkin from the table, wiped his mouth clean, and grinned. He was used to her exaggerations. Now go wash up. Your father will be home soon, she barked and then waved him out of her kitchen.

Luke’s dad had lived with his mother ever since her heart attack, and he didn’t mind at all. Other than making sure she took her blood pressure medicine, his job was to provide company more than anything else. He loved it.

Luke walked upstairs to his room. His dad and grandmother turned her old study into a bedroom for him; it was still lined with most of her old books and magazines, but Luke was adjusting to it. Fortunately, it was about the same size as his old bedroom in Tampa, only the walls were deep beige and the carpet was white. His bed and a small television set lined the wall farthest from the door.

His new room didn’t have a closet—only a small chest of drawers added during the renovation—but Luke didn’t care. He could always put together an outfit from whatever was left on the floor. Luke scoured his chest for a clean shirt, finally grabbing a plain white tee before heading to the bathroom across the hall. He freshened up and pulled the shirt over his head just in time to hear his dad’s old rusted red truck rumble to a stop out front.

Luke made his way down the stairs and turned right into the kitchen. One of the nicest things about moving here was that it was so easy. Granny K made him feel like he had lived here for years. Of course, Luke’s dad was just as happy to have his son around. Luke took his normal seat between the head of the table and where Granny K always sat.

His dad opened the door and pulled off his work boots. Mom, I’m home, he called, as though his beater of a truck hadn’t already announced his arrival. Luke’s dad was so much taller than him—around six feet, two inches, or even three—and well built from years of coal mining. He had the same rough, shaggy brown hair, but he kept his cut short. His eyes were dark green, and not the bright shade of Luke’s and Granny K’s.

Phil, you need to wash up before supper, Granny K told her son, using the same tone she used on Luke moments before. Luke laughed silently to himself as his dad made his way to the sink to wash the coal dust from his face and hands.

Sure thing, Mom, he said softy, and began scrubbing himself clean. Granny K put the food on the table, and then they all sat down for a family meal.

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CHAPTER 2

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THIS WAS STILL new to Luke. The only time he ate with his family was during holidays, but here in Galeswood, family dinners were a social norm. Not that he minded; in fact, he relished it, and mainly because Granny K was a cook to rival even those he watched on TV.

Lower your heads and I’ll say grace, she said. Luke and his father lowered their heads and she gave thanks for the meal.

Luke had just started scooping mashed potatoes onto his plate when his