Raelyn and the Final Dominion Seed: Tales of Nesieth

By J S Wilkins

Dominion seeds were sown across the land of Nesieth by the ancient giants. These seeds are what the linfets and the smurgs grow from, they are not born like you and I. Many peaceful generations have passed but a smurg uprising led by Captain Smudge and Muldus Whiff is threatening to disrupt the peace and upset the balance.

Slesley Greyroot, the finest wizard in Nesieth finds herself battling against this tyranny, as she often has before. With her trusted friend, Mordrake, they must find The One to fulfill an ancient prophecy.


Cover Artwork by Sarah Lawrence

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press UK
• Release date: Aug 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781982284183

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Copyright © 2021 J S Wilkins.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Cover Artwork by Sarah Lawrence

ISBN: 978-1-9822-8417-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-8419-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-8418-3 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 08/26/2021

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Found

Chapter 2 Breakfast

Chapter 3 Linfet Valley

Chapter 4 Swamp

Chapter 5 Feelings

Chapter 6 Vision

Chapter 7 Showdown

Chapter 8 Journey

Chapter 9 Search

Chapter 10 Note

Chapter 11 Adventure

Chapter 12 Arrival

Chapter 13 Pit

Chapter 14 Trolls

Chapter 15 Agrus Tuft

Chapter 16 Adventure

Chapter 17 Elders

Chapter 18 Explanation

Chapter 19 Advance

Chapter 20 Raelyn

Chapter 21 Mission Start

Chapter 22 Smurg Forces

Chapter 23 Reinforcements

Chapter 24 Battle

Chapter 25 Chase

Chapter 26 Awakening

Chapter 27 Recovery

Chapter 28 Return

About the Author

To my daughters. Thank you for the inspiration to write. I love you.

Malcolm, thank you for methodically checking my

writing and pointing out the errors so graciously.

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CHAPTER 1

FOUND

S lesley Greyroot, who happened to be the finest wizard in the land, was running for her life. Rain was pouring in the Black Forest, with the occasional growl of thunder and flash of lightning. She used the staff in her hand to light a purple path in front of her. The ground was slippery underfoot, and several times she almost ended up face down in the dirt. Greyroot was running to where she knew she would be safe, where the good trolls lived.

She was looking for one of the many caves in the land of Nesieth—the one that was owned by a wise old troll named Mordrake. Greyroot had not been in his cave before, however she knew it had a waterfall that cascaded down near the entrance. If you didn’t know it was there, you wouldn’t look for it. That is what Greyroot was relying on, hoping her scent would be covered by the waterfall.

A mysterious, white glow emanated from her backpack, which she had tucked under her long, navy cloak. Green foliage protruded from the pack, rustling as she ran. A blast of a horn behind her signalled danger. Bloodhounds barked in the distance; muffled shouts were getting louder.

Slesley Greyroot was fast—not as fast as some younger wizards but at five hundred years old, fast enough to be able to put some distance between herself and the hounds. Jumping over roots and sliding under low branches, she made sure her precious cargo wasn’t damaged. Greyroot was as tall as your mum. Her peach skin glistened with each bolt of lightning. Her plaited blue hair streamed out behind her as she ran. It shimmered in the moonlight. There were strands over her face, stuck in the sweat on her brow. Greyroot loved her hair, but on missions, it just annoyed her and got in the way!

She wore black, three-quarter-length trousers. These were standard wear in the wizard city of Mortooth. The wizards were allowed the freedom to choose their tops and socks, so she wore her ‘a human is for life, not just for experiments’ T-shirt. Her yellow-tartan socks were knee-length, but with all the running, they were round her ankles. Sturdy footwear was always important; you never knew when you might be running from smurgs. These ape-like creatures scourged Nesieth. They brought darkness and destruction just to expand their own swamp. Their desire was to rule the land of Nesieth.

Greyroot crossed the river before passing right through the waterfall. The water was bitterly cold, it chilled her to the bone. On the safe side of the waterfall, she doubled over out of breath, her rib cage bursting to get as much oxygen in as possible. She did not want her old legs giving way underneath her. Greyroot had made it to the south-west side of the Black Forest.

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Holding her staff horizontal, she whispered an incantation: "Accelarit Warmth." There was a purple glow from the jewel at the end. Though it did not radiate heat, it dried her clothes instantly. As she’d hoped, the lights were off in the cave. This meant that Mordrake was still hibernating, something trolls did for two months each year, although some of the older ones still had to get up to use the loo.

The smurgs and bloodhounds would not go near the caves for fear of being eaten. They had large skulls but not much inside them. They were hairy, formidable warriors, covered head to toe in black hair and muscle. However, there were many stories in smurg camps of eight-foot trolls with huge, red eyes and sharp fangs being woken from their sleep and being so hungry that they ate two or three smurgs in one sitting. The reason Greyroot wasn’t worried was that they were just that: stories! They were rumours she had started to protect the good trolls, allowing them to get some peace and quiet as they worked the land.

Greyroot took off her backpack and placed it in a crevice in the cave wall. There was a white glow from the top of the bag. She looked in. It was the seed. If Greyroot was right, this was the final dominion seed from the Dominatus plant. It was said that it only grew when it was needed in Nesieth to reset the life cycle. It could sway the power in Nesieth from light to darkness if it found its way into the wrong hands.

Greyroot knew that if word got out that such a seed existed, it would draw attention from the smurgs as well as other enemies of Mortooth. She needed to keep it a secret if possible and guard it like her life depended on it. The seed would need to be planted to reset the life cycle as they knew it!

Greyroot collapsed in a heap and wrapped her cloak around her aching body. She needed to find The One, the person the seed would attract and who was prophesised about over fifty years ago.

Greyroot didn’t know much about what kind of creature The One would be, just that he or she would have a mark on his or her body. Anyone who knew the prophecy would recognise it instantly. Greyroot knew the prophecy inside out and backward; she could probably quote it word for word. The seed would pull The One and draw him or her to itself. Only The One had the power to bury the seed and make it grow instantly. Greyroot knew that she would need to guide and mentor The One to make sure Nesieth was not lost to darkness. Before looking, though, she needed sleep.

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CHAPTER 2

BREAKFAST

G reyroot pushed her cloak down from her chin in her sleep. Subconsciously she sensed the sunrise glistening through the waterfall, lighting up the cave with swirly patterns. She was unable to appreciate nature’s beauty fully, as she ached all over and was still exhausted. Soon the sun got high enough to start warming her face through a window—well, it was more a hole in the cave wall. Greyroot had sweat on her brow, and her eyes where flickering under her eyelids like she was in distress. A cave flinch twirling backward and forward from its nest, picking up grubs for its young, was the only creature appreciating the rays of light.

Greyroot woke with a startled jerk. She had been having the same recurring nightmare, the one she had every time she closes her eyes. Her friend and mentor Radenko Crumb ended up dead, and there was nothing Greyroot could do. She wiped her brow, smearing dirt down her face. She was thankful that she had gotten some sleep, although a cave floor was certainly not what a wizard was used to. She was playing the previous night’s adventure over in her mind when suddenly she realised that her bag and its contents were gone!

Where was her bag? Where was the seed?

There was a clattering of pans from deeper in the cave. She could hear