Lost in Times: Tales of the Neverwar

By CJ Rutherford

Derren and Krista are twins. Twin Liberi warriors, charged with protecting the realities from an ancient evil.
Set before the events of the main Tales of the Neverwar series, journey with the twins as they track down an anomaly in WW2 Nazi Poland.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CJ Rutherford
• Release date: Jul 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201530754

CJ Rutherford

CJ Rutherford has always been a story teller, even if they started out in his mind only. He grew up on a farm in very rural Ireland, and was left pretty much to his own devices most of the time. ​So, he invented his own world, with fairies, trolls, and other mystical creatures. ​His stories stayed with him throughout his life, sometimes scrawled down on scraps of paper, and occasionally brought to life in a sketch (although he’s the first to admit what he drew and what you might see might not bear any similarity to each other.) ​Along came two daughters, and at last he had an outlet for his imagination. As the girls grew up they were enthralled by the characters and the worlds their father created. He even brought them to life in his fantasy world, and they never knew when he sat down to tell them their bed-time story, whether they would be fighting a dragon or playing with one. ​But time moves on, and daughters grow up, and soon enough, CJ needed another way to tell his tales. The rest, as they say, is history…or the future, depending on how you look at it. Tales of the Neverwar is a unique fantasy series, spanning two worlds, one of magic and one of science. Millennia ago, magic was hidden to prevent it being used by an ancient evil malevolence to conquer the universe. Now, the spell hiding it is failing, and the magical land of Teralia is about to re-enter our world. The Darkness, banished for thousands of years, awakens as the magic grows stronger, and searches for a way to use this new magic, this 'science', to free itself from the prison entombing it. 20-year-old Katheryn’s ordinary life is turned upside down when she discovers she’s the only thing standing between survival, and the destruction of everything she loves. So begins a desperate battle across time, space, and multiple dimensions, as magic collides with science in an ancient battle for supremacy…for whoever controls the magic, wins the war.

Book preview

Derren dreamt.

It was a familiar dream. In fact, it was the same dream he’d had every night for decades. First, the folded page appeared in his hands. He carefully unfolded it. In the dream, the page was unblemished and as pristine as the first days he’d put a pencil to it.

He watched as his own hand began tracing the outline of a face, the graceful curves taking shape over the moments to frame a pair of piercing blue eyes in a fine-featured face, surrounded by a curtain of golden hair.

But it wasn’t the image that pulled at his core; it was the link they shared. This person, this woman, held the other half of Derren’s soul.

It was always the same. The feelings would wash over him before sweeping away like a receding tide. Derren always tried to grasp at the bond between them, but it always pulled away. Sometimes he’d try to follow it to its source, but it would disappear into the sea of nothingness, and Derren was left alone.

He woke at this point, instantly alert and aware of his surroundings, as usual. He lay still for a moment, stretching his awareness, searching for threats. Not that there ever were any; not here, at least, but being overcautious had never hurt him in the past.

He sat up in bed, swinging his legs out and glancing around the small room which had been his home for the last two years. Had it really been that long? The room was simple but comfortable. A bed sat along one side of the ten foot-by-ten-foot space, with a small table and two chairs under the viewing portal. On the opposite wall was a storage locker and a table so he could study in his spare time. Ha! He could count on the fingers of one hand how many times he’d studied.

He got up and crossed to the portal, waving a palm over the controls to turn it from opaque to clear. He never tired of the view. He dragged himself over to the small kitchen in the corner of his room to make himself a coffee. Derren had tasted beverages from thousands of worlds, but it was the caffeinated beverage from a small blue planet named after dirt which was his favourite.

Retrieving the steaming cup from the dispenser, he sat down in one of the chairs to watch the day unfold. He missed the sunrises of his home planet, Regulus V. Their sun had been a bright blue orb, but the morning skies had lit with shades of orange and purple. 

The city planet of Sanctuary had no sun, existing as it did at the center of all creation, so day and night did not exist here. The city was constantly alive, hiving with life and activity. Outside his room, aircars flitted through the sky like tiny insects, their seemingly random paths controlled by the mighty computers nestled deep within the planet, their artificial intelligences aware of everything and everyone coming and going throughout this nexus of trade and commerce.

A tone sounded. Derren didn’t need to use his heightened awareness to know who it was. Come in, he said, pressing the stud on the table to unlock the door.

Mmm, something smells good. Jamaica Blue Mountain? Krista, Derren’s twin sister didn’t wait to be asked, simply crossing to the kitchen to fix herself a cup.

Help yourself, sis. Never mind what it cost me in credits and favors to get a bag of the stuff.

Krista stuck out her tongue. Oh, shush. You keep a stash of beans in that warehouse off the central civic promenade.

Derren grimaced. He had no idea how she’d found out, but he wasn’t surprised. He’d never been able to hide anything from her. But saying that, he was running low. He’d have to arrange a trip to Earth in the next few weeks.

So, ready to say goodbye to these luxurious accommodations? Krista ceremonially swept her hand around the room. Her pale blue eyes shone tauntingly.