Above A Higher Calling

By Courdney Ramsaroop

"Above A Higher Calling" continues the story of the A Higher Calling trilogy. This story began with Rish, who was specifically selected to save lives on Earth in the face of Armageddon. After awakening on an unknown planet, his life-threatening journey lead to a series of unfortunate events resulting in the creation of two extra dimensional characters. A further description would spoil the first book for anyone who hasn't started this trilogy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781667822136

Book preview

Ash to Ash

In a distant galaxy on a planet called Telwan …

Multicolored bloodstains blotted the battlefield as a sea of green grass changed to black. A wave of fire burned closer along the ground. Hastam knights, an all-female unit within the Caelum army, burned by the dozens. The Hastams’ formation faltered as fiery demons advanced through the flames and tore their bodies apart. Each Hastam is armed with a diamond-tipped spear and a hexagon-shaped shield. Their breastplates and helmets are white with gold trim. The Hastams started this battle with strong numbers; now they were fighting for survival.

Reduced to a few hundred, the Hastams are surrounded. They receive an order to form a defensive circle. Giving the orders from the center of the circle is their fearless leader, Ashley. The fire came from a massive beast flying above. The beast’s body is shaped like a dragon, but it has the hide of a bear and the head of a ram. It blew its fiery breath down on the Hastams each time it passed. The beast circled around for a third pass.

Ashley and her Hastams are not alone. Another unit of the Caelum army is hidden in the trees, anxiously waiting to join the battle from the demon’s flank. The Caelums are a blend of different species and multidimensional warriors organized to defend the balance of good and evil throughout the universe. The General, the leader of the Caelum army, is accompanied by his Sanctus cavalry, a group of the longest-serving cavalry knights, each mounted on their own Pegasus.

The Sanctis’ sole purpose is to protect the General, who is the only knight mounted on a griffin. The Sancti wore shiny red armor trimmed with gold and carry a silver bow and diamond-tipped arrows. Each Pegasus were equipped with similar armor and spiked hooves. Growing impatient, the Sanctus Pegasi raise their wings and stomp their hooves. The General communicated with Ashley telepathically from the tree line.

General: It’s coming, Ashley! Pull your knights back!

Red demons with lava-like skin, long tails, and sharp claws swarmed the Hastams’ circular formation. Some of the demons crawled over the Hastams’ shields and dove into the center. It’s a fatal mistake. Using her dual-welded swords and feathers sharper than razor blades, Ashley slays each demon before they have a chance to claw her Hastams’ backs.

Ashley: (Killing demons) We’re okay! Just let me do my job! Besides, Mama isn’t here yet!

General: Mama or not, when that monster comes back, we’re moving in!

The General raised his sword and gave an order to his cavalry.

General: Ut denuntiares!

Ashley: You do that, and my knights died for nothing!

The awkward-looking dragon approached with the sun at its back. Ashley looked up and saw the beast approaching through the wall of demons and fire. Ashley ordered her Hastams to shift their formation.

Ashley: Sphaera!

The Hastams stopped fighting, then they placed their shields side by side, forming a dome of protection. The beast slowed down its approach, opened its mouth, and ignited its glands. Salivating for its final kill, the beast aimed toward the Hastams’ dome. Flames flow past its teeth like they came from an enormous flamethrower.

Ashley: Necto!

The Hastams dug their heels into the bloodstained soil and braced for the fiery blast. Their formation was tight enough to eliminate most of the daylight, but streams of light still shined through. Fire swept over the Hastams’ shields. Ashley felt the heat grazing her cheeks. She didn’t close her eyes or look away. Ashley stood firm until the heat stopped. She looked up through the tiny cracks in the dome formation and saw hundreds of diamond-tipped arrows soaring through the air while shimmering in the sunlight. Most of the arrows penetrated the beast’s hide.

Distracted, the beast stopped its attack on the Hastams and focused on where the arrows were coming from. The beast hovered with its back turned to the Hastams, concentrating on the hundreds of Sancti charging through the sky. The beast swung violently at the surrounding Sancti. In a desperate attempt to save itself, it blew flames from its mouth and burned a few Sancti in the sky. Pegasi and Sancti ignited as their bodies tumbled to the ground. The arrows within its body were wearing the beast down. A loud roar echoed across the valley as the beast groaned from the pain. Its wings stopped flapping; its eyes closed. The beast fell to the ground. The weight of the beast’s body striking the ground sent a tiny earthquake beneath the Hastams’ feet.

The Sancti cheered their momentary victory. Ashley and her Hastams didn’t have time to celebrate. The Hastams broke their dome formation and continued fighting demons. Ashley took a moment and gazed up at the General looking down at her while hovering on his griffin. Proud of the Sancti kill, he smirked at Ashley. Ashley shook her head with disappointment and continued fighting. Suddenly, darkness blanketed the battlefield. A monstrous roar screeched over the horizon. Every knight felt the sound wave vibrating through the armor on their chest.

General: Confortare!

Still hovering in the air, the Sancti regrouped and formed a v formation toward the direction of the bone-chilling sound. Ashley rolled her eyes and mumbled to herself.

Ashley: Now she shows up.

The two-headed ewe dragon with sharp fangs, a thick, scaly hide, and the wingspan of two football fields was three times the size of the beast lying dead on the battlefield. The Sancti scattered as the ewe dragon collided with their formation. One of her heads managed to dismount a Sanctus with her teeth. The other head blew an enormous stream of purple flame through the sky.

The Sancti couldn’t move out of the way fast enough. While crashing through their formation, the ewe dragon kicked and clawed the straggling Sancti. The ewe dragon swatted Sancti from the sky like a swatter through a swarm of gnats. Hundreds of diamond-tipped arrows bounced off the ewe dragon’s thick scales. Almost half of the Sancti were severely injured or killed as their bodies are strewn across the battlefield. A few of the Pegasi flew directionless after losing their riders.

General: (Flying around) We can’t stay up here.

Ashley: No shit! You should have listened to me!

General: (Monotone) I realize that now and watch your language.

Ashley: Language? Really? This mother fu …

General: I said, watch your mouth!

The ewe dragon’s power is beyond measure. Gusts of downwind from her massive wings knocked demons and Hastams down when she passed overhead. Purple flames were now flowing from both her mouths. Anything her flames touched turned to dust.

Ashley: Yeah, our shields won’t hold up against that!

Concerned for her Hastams’ safety, Ashley ordered them to retreat.

Ashley: Redeo!

The remaining Hastams moved hastily from the battlefield toward the tree line. Ashley expanded her wings and grabbed her right hand, Kaeley, while helping her Hastams retreat. Multiple Sanctus Pegasi folded their wings back and descended rapidly to the ground in order to assist with the Hastams’ retreat. When the Sancti landed, Hastams mounted the available saddles and took off. The ewe dragon’s massive body made her turn around slowly. After making her turn, she focused her attention on the retreating Hastams.

What’s left of the Caelum army braced for a second pass of the ewe dragon. Her slow but powerful wings batted the air into submission as she approached the retreating Hastams. Ashley safely escorted Kaeley to the tree line when she turned and saw the ewe dragon preparing to finish what was left of her Hastams on the battlefield. The ewe dragon was less than a hundred yards away. She let out a fierce roar, then flammable gas created a glaze in her mouth as her glands prepared to ignite her purple flames. Ashley used telepathy to communicate with Rish.

Ashley: Anytime now!

Rish: Aw, I missed you too!

Rish waved his hand in a circular motion and pointed down.

Rish and his Alas Metallicus knights are an all-male unit of winged pikemen hidden among the clouds. Their armor was sky blue with gold trim. Rish and his Metallici folded their wings back and dove down on top of the ewe dragon. Piercing through the clouds, Rish and his Metallici made their approach from the ewe dragon’s blind spot. Ashley’s plan was effective. Rish and his Metallici landed on the ewe dragon’s back. The Metallici operated in pairs. One Metallicus pried a scale from the ewe dragon’s back while another pierced the dragon’s flesh.

Their pikes have sharp spiral tips designed for drilling through their target’s body after entry—one twist of the staff and the tip of the pike activated. Pain from the pikes forces the ewe dragon to change its course. She twisted and turned through the air as she struggled to diagnose the pain elevating inside her. Each pike drilled through her body and exited through her chest and stomach.

The ewe dragon’s vital organs were shutting down. Life inside her body drifted away, her eyes closed, and her wings made their final flap. The ewe dragon’s body became limp and fell from the sky. Silence swept over the battlefield as the opposing sides stopped to watch their massive beast fall to the ground. The impact of her body had the force of a small bomb, causing the ground to rumble and crack with a shockwave that followed. A large plume of dust filled the air. The remaining demons fled the battlefield. When the dust settled, the Metallici surrounded the lifeless dragon’s body. Ashley flew over to meet Rish. When she arrived at the carcass, Rish was still holding a pike embedded in the ewe dragon’s skull.

Ashley: (Rolls her eyes at Rish) Could you be more cliché?

Rish removed his pike from the ewe dragon’s head and walked down her face. He stepped off the ewe dragon’s snout, drove his pike into the ground, and looked at Ashley.

Rish: Do you know you roll your eyes a lot? Besides, it’s called finaz.

Ashley: It’s cliché and I think you mean finesse.

Rish: I think you mean insanely talented or handsome, but a simple thank you would suffice.

Ashley scoffs and rolls her eyes again. The General lands and dismounted his griffin behind Ashley. He walked over and stood next to Ashley.

Ashley: You know what Rish, go fuck yourself, Mr. Circling above the battlefield at a thousand Feet!

General: (Interrupting) Ashley, language!

Rish: You go fuck myself first!

General: Language Rish!

Ashley: (Mocking Rish) Who says that?

Rish: I do! You know what else I do?

Ashley: Oh, I’m sure you’re about to tell me.

Rish: I follow your plans, Ashley, that’s what. So yeah, you go fuck myself first.

General: (Places his palm on his forehead) How are you two my best warriors?

Ashley: (Rolls her eyes) That doesn’t make any sense.

Rish points at Ashley.

Rish: (Speaking to the General) She knows what it means!

Rish stood between the ewe dragon’s two heads. The eyes of the head opposite the one he climbed down from started wincing. Ashley noticed a glow in the crack of the dragon’s eyelids.

Ashley: (Speaking to Rish) Hey, Dragonheart. Apparently, you didn’t hit her in the right spot. (Mumbles while looking away) No surprise there.

Rish: Now who’s not making any sense, Ashley? Have you even seen Dragonheart? Dennis Quaid, axe thrower, right in the dragon’s heart. Boom! Wait, did you just make a sexual reference?

Ashley didn’t respond to Rish’s comment. She simply turned her back and walked away.

General: (Speaking to Rish) How many times do I have to remind you two of your language? Both of you are leaders of a prestigious army. Have some self-control, something the two of you are severely lacking right now.

The unpierced dragon head awoke and stared at the back of Rish’s head. Rish heard the dragon breathing. He turned around and looked the dragon in its eyes.

Rish: (Holding his arms out) What!

Swiftly, the ewe dragon snapped her jaws open and swallowed Rish whole.

The General stood in shock. The ewe dragon stared back at the General, exhaled, closed its eyes, and collapsed back to the ground. The General stood alone.

General: Fuck.

Ashley was still within hearing distance of the General as she walked away.

Ashley: (Mocking the General) Language!

chapter 2

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Audrey screamed while jolting out of her sleep.

Audrey: Rish!

Cody stood by Audrey’s bed. A light projected a computer screen from his shoulder in front of him. Cody touched the screen and inputted data from Audrey’s sleep.

Cody: Another bad dream?

Audrey’s body was drenched in sweat.

Audrey: (Panting) No, I always wake up screaming when I dream about music from Earth during the early 2000s!

Cody didn’t respond. He simply stared at Audrey with a concerning look.

Audrey: What?

Cody: Nothing.

Audrey: Why do you insist on making me suffer like this!

Cody: Sweetie, I don’t want you to suffer.

Audrey: Then give me my suit!

Cody: We don’t need suits here, and I think I’m close to finding a cure for your PTSD. Who know, maybe one day your trials will help cure someone else experiencing a traumatic event.

Audrey: What others?

Cody: This was an issue for soldiers on Earth and I don’t want it to be an issue here.

Audrey: There hasn’t been a war here. Isn’t that why these people were chosen specifically to come here?

Cody: True, and yes, but PTSD isn’t just a symptom of war. Besides, I let you keep enough of your suit to maintain your wings. Isn’t that enough?

Audrey: You and Evelyn have suits!

Cody: I explained this to you already. Evelyn and I rule this planet, we are the reason everyone is on this planet, and only the two of us are worthy of wearing suits on this planet.

Audrey: Sounds a lot