The Dawning: Everwar, #1

By Tommy Books

An alteranative world, or more real world. Jane awakens in a strange world, but does not know it is strange. She has no memory of her past on Earth. 

Now she must search in a world where dragons may be real, and possibly demons too!

Alone with a drive to learn of her life, find meaning in this alien landscape. She must thrive in a world where pirates sail the skys in airships, and destiny depends on the strength of will, and the ability to survive in a lawless world; where the only truth is the law of survival! 

Will she find her place in Anavoreal. Will she find something more . . . 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tommy Books
• Release date: Mar 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386993117

Book preview

The Dawning

Chp. 1 Awakening

Nevermore! Squawked the crow.

I've been here before. Jane thought within her dreams.

She had not in fact been—here, even as there was no crow... it was not a place, at least not in the waking sense. Jane was asleep, and deep in a dream. She groaned, a low guttural—moan like sound from deep inside, and rolled onto her left shoulder and hip; her awareness never closing with the real waking world. Nothing in all of creation could have broken her out of this restful state—aware on another level of where she really may be.

Here was a place which Jane had decided must be some kind of false reality realm, like a dream perhaps. The truth, however,  that it seemed more like something either projected into her senses, or a glitch in reality itself. She continued to wrestle her very being, what another might call a soul, her brain warily rationalizing the last few days she'd been in this world.

Suddenly shocked to wakefulness—and bolting upright—almost to her feet, when some instinct stopped her mid-flight; squatting on her haunches, Jane thought; What had frightened her so? She could not remember, it was as though something had warned her not to think. To her credit her brain persisted.

Got to be, She thought, and then hesitated.

Prepared. Her brain concluded.

But for what? Then she remembered yesterday, or was it some other time? Did time even pass here? She did not yet have any bearings on time—nor place, Jane was beginning to worry.

Yesterday, she clearly remembered a monster. It was like they had described demons, when she was young; but who had described the demons? She did not remember her past, not even her name. ‘Jane,’ seemed to creep into her memory, and that was her name, or at least that was how she thought of herself.

She also remembered the gun, and looked around to locate it. She was naked; she realized. Had she been naked yesterday, or whenever that was? She looked around her world, this time looking for features; something familiar.

She was on a vast, dry, cracked desert. The dirt not quite rock, was comprised of hard, flat, broken up plain. All the world completely barren, the ground under her was made up of evenly cracked patches of about a foot square, though not square, rough unshaped—dirt; like a once water covered plain that has long since dried.

Where was she, where was the gun? She considered. Then; Why am I naked, and where is the carcass, and again; the rifle? The demon had come charging out of nowhere, and it was dark; twilight. She had pulled up the rifle, it had been in her hands—barrel to the ground, professional, like a soldier.

How had she known that? She'd fired point blank, and hit it right in the chest. It fell not moving, and she fell exhausted. Then she was waking, something terrible had started her in her sleep.

What?

Jane began walking, she would need sustenance. Looking up, the sky was an opalescent blue, ungodly, surreal as far as she was concerned, and the sun a deep yellow-orange, intense, and big.

No; more whole than it should be; it had a look as though it was fuller, more robust than a sun that she couldn't quite remember. She knew this was not the sun of her world, it was certainly warmer. She could not stare at it, as even a glance directly at the area of the sky tended to become painful to her eyes quickly.

She walked for it seemed hours, the ground was all sand now, but nothing else had changed, not even the sun's place in the sky. She was deeply aware of thirst, and also a kind of a hunger, though she thought she could go on for quite a while longer; before really feeling desperate.

That somewhat strange, was not the most outstanding thing happening to her body. She was hot, the sun was like a forge, but she did not feel greatly uncomfortable. In fact she seemed to be taking comfort in the warmth, while her skin slowly turned a cherry-pink complexion. With a long flowing Maine of red hair which hung lightly over her shoulders and back.

Too, she had a sheen of oil completely covering her body, from head to toe like sweat, she glistened—the sun flashing tiny sparks on her skin as she moved; like an animated red ice sculpture. No shadows; just sunlight.

Chp. 2 Shock and awe

Jane was deciding that this plain was endless, and that nothing lived here. Then her eyes registered a slight difference, above the horizon, off to her right. She had not been looking around, just straight ahead. She altered her steps to head in that direction, almost like she was in a trance, automatically, and started to breathe a sigh of relief—now with hopes that there was someone, or something here. 

Suddenly, and from completely out of nowhere, a dragon was swooping directly at her! About fifty yards in the air, and just as far away; it was nearing fast!  She stopped stone still, and just stood starring at the flying beast.

Suddenly desperation overwhelmed her, and she looked to the ground searching around for—anything. A large stick, A carbine. 

Anything!

She turned around half thinking to run, and spotted a glint of something reflecting in the sun's rays. She ran for it, the dragon forgotten for the moment, as far as she knew—about to grab her by the nape of her neck.

Panicked, she dived to the ground, snatching at the shiny thing, even as she hit the sand and rolled. A sword! With that, she heard an ear splitting screech, louder than any eagle she had ever heard. As she rose slowly into a crouch, sword in her right hand. She saw that the dragon had chosen to circle above her, while keeping it's head pointed in her direction. It’s red eyes piercing her very soul.

The dragon, rouge-red at the haunches and shoulders, a mix of darkening red and purple at it's spine, with wide, spike tipped fins traveling in a row along it's back; promptly turned and flew directly at her.  The fear was tangible, crippling, and her instincts took over. Standing up straight holding the sword slightly behind her, point to the ground, she picked her moment and began the arcing slash up, and at the great beast's throat!

She felt the sword hit home—hard. Aauugh!  She screamed shrilly, and with the impact, the force went straight through her arm and shoulders; bowling her backwards and onto her backside. Sand spraying away from her sliding body, still managed to splash over her face; up her nose, and into her eyes.

Again she rolled, and rose to a crouch, blinking the gritty sand from her eyes. The dragon however was not attacking. It was ten yards from where she had fallen, and flopping, with shuddering spasms; lying on its side. Though there was no sound emanating from it; she had wounded the beast!  She could not believe it. She considered the situation for a heartbeat, then came to a decision.

Jane approached slowly, cautiously. Blood was spurting, in gallons it seemed, from the gash she had carved into its neck.  She realized she had nearly severed its head! The movement stopped as she drew within swords reach. All was still, her chest was heaving, and she relaxed and let out a deep breath.  She gazed to the skies, searching for anything else! Nothing. Again she slowly let out a small breath—almost a sigh. It was huge, she closed the last couple of steps, and touched the beast on its' fearsome neck.

Cold, It felt somehow slimy, though no oil or grease rubbed off it's skin onto her hand. Closer examination allowed Jane to see that the hard back scales knitted along the spine, and sides, were a slightly darker shade of red to purple; and decidedly larger. These came to an edge at the sides of the belly, and along the neck where a ridge formed, slightly overlapping a softer scale formation, making up the underside of the beast.

She looked to the throat wound. Lucky shot! She thought, as she felt the gash, confirming its realness, and taking a perverse satisfaction from the exploration. She found the talons, the claws, as hard as crystal. She immediately went to the mouth to see what teeth were there.

Expecting a formidable set of teeth, she was not disappointed, when seeing the open maw lined with slightly opaque-bluish—crystal like, fangs, that would impress even the most stayed observer. Much like a dogs teeth, these monsters started with some fairly wide, and slightly longish, pointed