Descendants of the Earth: The Harmony Saga, #1

By Noa Brooks

Owen is a boy who realizes he is special– he can control fire. Then he finds a camp where everyone is like him. When the Master of the Elements is killed, Owen is sure that he is going to be next in line. All he has to do is help his friends find the Rings of Power. With his new friends by his side, he knows they will succeed. But when one of his allies turns out to be a traitor, he no longer knows what to believe. And though he thinks he knows what he wants, by the end of his journey, he's not so sure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spellbound Publishing House, LLC
• Release date: Oct 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798891239722

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Descendants of the Earth

Noa Brooks

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Spellbound Publishing House, LLC

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination o rare used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2023 by Noa Brooks | Case Number: 1-12985661710

Cover art by Olivia McCabe

Copyright © 2023 Olivia McCabe

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. Scanning, uploading, and distributing this book without permission is a theft of the author's intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for the purposes of reviews), please contact [e-mail].

Thank you for supporting this author's rights.

Spellbound Publishing House, LLC

Austin, TX | www.spellbound-publishing.com

First edition: October 2023

The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2023946696 | ISBN 9798891239708 (hardback)

ISBN 9798891239715 (paperback) | 9798891239722 (ebook)

This book is dedicated to Starkid, for giving me the idea in the first place.

~ 1 ~

Owen only lit himself on fire when his father wasn’t home.

Fire cannot kill a dragon, he muttered as he struck a match and held it beneath his hand.

To clear up a few things, Owen was really into Game of Thrones. And he was excited when he saw on TV an awesome dragon girl who, like himself, was impervious to fire. Owen could control the flames, making them bend away from his hands. He could stick his hand straight into a fireplace and not feel a thing. He didn't even feel the heat of the flames unless he decided he wanted to. 

Owen snatched his hand away from the fire as he heard the front door open and then shut. He quickly sat on the box of matches; he didn't want his dad to catch him. He was first greeted by the small, jingling figure of his dog Poppy followed by the larger, sweaty figure of his father, Sam, trailing with the dog’s leash.

How was your run? Owen asked as innocently as possible.

Good, Sam replied, stowing the leash in its drawer. Very sweaty.

Good to know, Owen said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Don’t worry, I’ll keep it to myself. Sam sat down next to Owen on the couch. Owen moved slightly further away from his sweaty father, who ignored him and leaned back, settling into the cushions. Aren't you glad it's summer? Sam said, sighing happily.

I guess. I mean, I'm glad sophomore year is over, and it's nice to have free time… Owen trailed off. I'm kind of bored, though.

His father got a strange look in his eye. Funny you should say that. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. 

Owen got a sinking feeling in his stomach. Look, I don’t have a girlfriend. I don’t even want a girlfriend. Or boyfriend. I’d settle for regular friends. Do we have to do this?

Sam started to squirm too. Uh, that’s actually not the talk I planned on giving you today.

Oh, Owen said, feeling relieved and a little confused. What is it then?

Sam settled into the couch a little more, staring at Owen intently. I wasn’t going to tell you about this, but at this point, I think it’s better to be honest. Have you ever had anything weird happen to you around water?

I don’t know what you mean. Owen started to get a little defensive, worried that his father had discovered his secret.

Sam softened. To be honest, I was hoping you wouldn’t be like me. You’re sure you’ve never been able to maybe make water move?

I haven’t had anything weird happen to me with water. Owen hesitated. He wanted to keep his secret from his father, but now there seemed to be no point. Fire, though. I can kind of control it. Like Daenerys, so it’s not that weird, Owen rushed through his confession.

The expression of worry on Sam’s face turned into relief. You can control fire? That’s interesting. Rare, I think, to see the dominant element flip in a child. Very interesting.

Hey, what did you mean you hoped I wouldn’t be like you? Owen asked suddenly. Are you saying you know something about this?

Sam sighed heavily. When I met your mother, I turned my back on the world of balancing. After she died, I went back, but I always hoped I could keep it from you. These powers usually manifest during puberty, and since you’re sixteen, it should have happened by now. And I guess it did. 

Did Mom know? Owen’s head was spinning with this revelation. So it was genetic. He wasn’t a freak. Or maybe I was just born into a family of freaks, he thought. At least I’m not alone. 

No, I never told her. It would have been too dangerous for her. Sam shook his head. I think I have some explaining to do.

Owen snorted. No kidding. I only have about a million questions.

Let me shower real quick, and we can talk over dinner. Stir fry sound good? Sam stood to head upstairs.

Sure, Owen replied, trying to stay calm. His heart was pounding, but he also felt lighter. He was glad he didn’t have to hide from his dad anymore. They were close, and he hated keeping secrets. But now his entire perspective on the situation had changed. Before, he had loosely been considering what he could do with his powers. He’d decided that joining the circus or going to Vegas would be too risky, people would ask questions and he could end up shipped off to Area 51 or something. Then they'd ask him where his powers came from, and they'd cut him up when he answered that they just kind of appeared one day.

It was the day after he turned sixteen, April 18th. Owen woke up because his room had become a sauna. A literal sauna, though he didn't realize that yet. He thought it was just hot. He went to go take a shower to cool off, and the water wouldn't turn on. Then, after brushing his damp bangs off his face, he smelled the acrid stench of burning hair and looked down in terror at his hands, which were on fire. He’d accidentally singed the hair on his head. When he realized that his flesh wasn't burning off, the horror turned quickly to fascination. Owen had been experimenting with these new abilities in the time since his birthday, and he had been almost ready to show his dad. He was enjoying keeping it to himself for a little bit. 

When dinner was ready, Owen joined his father at the table, but he was too nervous to eat. It felt incongruous to be sitting down for dinner like any other night when they had such a loaded topic to discuss. So where do we start? Owen said curiously. 

Sam seemed excited to talk about it, like he’d been holding back for some time. "Well, for me it started when I was young. My grandpa would do magic tricks for me, making glasses of water fill themselves or freeze. My mom and dad could both do it too, but they kept it to themselves. They told me that it was important not to show off my abilities. 

I went to Camp Harmony for the first time when I was sixteen. I was so excited to get to go to the camp where my parents had met, to make friends and learn how to control my powers. Your Aunt Lisa joined me the next year, and we had some of the best summers of our lives. I even stayed on as a counselor when I aged out. Sam’s eyes grew distant, wistful.

This would have been back in the eighties? Owen took the opportunity to insert himself and ask a question. He remembered hearing his father and his aunt talk about the fun times they’d had at summer camp, but he never realized there had been magic involved. 

Yes, I was there from ‘86 to ‘93. Sam’s expression turned sour. Then my parents died. 

I thought they died in a car accident, Owen said, surprised to see his grandparents’ deaths brought into this.

Sam shook his head. It was an accident, and technically there was a car. But balancing was involved. See, there are balancers who follow the path of Light and those who follow the path of Darkness. The two sides are constantly at war, and my parents got caught in the crossfire. Sam’s tone made it clear that he didn’t want to discuss it further, so Owen didn’t press the issue. Sam continued. Camp Harmony is led by Brian Percival, the Leader of Light and the greatest balancer I’ve ever met. After what happened, he offered me a job, working with him against the forces of Darkness. But then I met your mother. 

Okay, hold on. Owen put up his hands. You can’t just drop all that information on me and move on like that! I need to know more about everything. The more you talk, the more it sounds like a fantasy movie. Next thing I know you’re gonna tell me you’re personal friends with Harry Potter.

Chuckling, Sam said, I’m sorry. I know this is a lot to take in. But you’ll learn all about this stuff when you go to camp. He hesitated. Assuming you do want to go, but I can’t imagine you wouldn’t.

"After all the stories I’ve heard you and Aunt Lisa tell, I’ve always wanted to go to a camp like you did when you were young. Now that I know it’s a magic camp, I’m totally in." Owen grinned. This conversation was going way better than he’d expected. He was going to get to spend time with people who had the same powers he did, and get to learn about magic all summer? He couldn’t see a downside. 

I’m glad to hear it, Sam replied with a smile of his own. I wasn’t sure whether or not you’d inherit my abilities, what with your mother being normal. I left everything behind for her, just like Lisa did with her husband. We still don’t know about your cousins, and she’s terrified that they’ll end up like her. Like me and you. Sam’s grin faded. He started to play with his food, not wanting to talk about what came next. For ten years after I met your mom, I pretended I wasn’t a balancer. I got a job as a paralegal, we had you…

And the rest is history, Owen interrupted. He could see his dad’s face falling, and he didn’t want to revisit the death of his mother. She’d gotten sick when he was only six, and after a long battle with cancer she passed away when he was eight. Sam had barely made it through, and Owen was glad he didn’t remember it very well. You said you went back, though.

Yes. Sam exhaled sharply, trying to clear away the difficult memories. I finally took Brian Percival up on his offer of employment. Luckily, he’d always taken a shine to me, and he welcomed me back with open arms. Now it’s like I never left.

I can’t believe there’s so much I don’t know about you, Owen said, sitting back in his chair. So what do you even do?

It depends. When camp is in session I head up every once in a while to teach, and the rest of the year I work with Brian Percival on his projects. Sometimes I have to fight the Darkness’s people, but it’s usually pretty boring. We’re currently trying to remove pollution from Boulder Creek, but permits have been a nightmare. Sam rolled his eyes while Owen stared at him, openmouthed. He finally noticed Owen staring at him. What?

Did I actually just hear you call being a superhero ‘boring’? Owen couldn’t believe his ears. You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re literally the coolest dad ever.

Sam feigned disappointment. I wasn’t already?

I can’t believe this. Owen sat there agape while his father laughed. My dad’s a superhero.

Shaking his head, Sam went back to his food. Owen’s mind was already spinning with excitement over the new potential of his summer.

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The next morning, Owen was walking the dog and thinking about this mysterious Camp Harmony. He hoped it would be as cool as he had been led to believe. He was imagining log cabins and fire pits and sing-alongs and s’mores when Poppy stopped right in front of him, jerking him out of his reverie.

Her ears were perked up and she was staring intently at something behind Owen. Now, since this was the dog's normal reaction to another person on the path, Owen stepped to the side and looked to let them pass. But there was nobody there. Owen couldn’t even hear any telltale footsteps. He looked nervously at the dog, who hadn’t moved from her alert position in the middle of the trail. Owen had barely opened his mouth to say to the dog, Poppy? What do you see? when she turned and kept walking, like nothing had happened.

Owen walked faster on the way home, rattled. Poppy only stopped one more time, but Owen urged her on, glancing behind him as he went. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched, although there was no one there.

When he reached his house, all Owen wanted to do was retreat into the basement, play some video games, and forget about his strange experience on the walk. But no sooner did he try to make his escape than his dad appeared, thrusting a booklet into Owen’s face and taking the leash from his hands. 

What’s this? Owen asked suspiciously.

Sam called back over his shoulder. I scheduled a tour of camp for you today. He put the leash away and came back to Owen. Come on, it’s about an hour away. He clapped Owen on the back and went to the garage, humming something that sounded strangely like O Canada for no apparent reason.

Owen, knowing better than to question his father’s odd behavior, sighed and glanced down at what he was holding. Across the front, giant flowery letters spelled out Find Yourself at Camp Harmony. Owen rolled his eyes but followed his father out to the car anyway.

Once he was settled in the passenger seat, Owen opened the brochure. Inside, there were a lot of words he didn’t bother reading straight away, and a bunch of standard summer camp photos. Owen decided to focus on those. There was a group of boys grinning around a campfire, an intensely focused girl in a canoe paddling across a lake, the silhouettes of some backpacked hikers on their way up a forest trail, and a seemingly incongruous group shot of four people jumping High-School-Musical-style against the blue sky. What’s with these pictures? Owen asked, pointing them out to Sam.

Sam glanced over and laughed. Oh yeah, I should mention this is the brochure we give to non-balancer parents when they find out their kid has abilities. I thought you’d like it. 

Owen gave his dad a look. Gee, thanks. At least it was more interesting than the endless fields of cows that awaited him on their drive. He flipped the brochure over. On the back cover, a friendly-looking man with a neatly trimmed grey beard and kaleidoscopic eyes stared up at Owen. Intrigued by the eyes, which seemed to bore into him even from a still image, Owen bent his head closer to the page and tried to discern their color. Eventually, he turned his attention to the blurb beneath the picture.

Brian Percival is the director of Camp Harmony, a summer camp for gifted youngsters molded after his own divergent upbringing in the scenic Rocky Mountains. His achievements in the world are many…

Owen stopped reading and turned to glare at his father. Dad? he said slowly.

Hmm?

"You’re sending me to a camp for ‘gifted youngsters’? What is this, X-Men?" Owen asked incredulously. He couldn’t believe this is what his father wanted.

No, we’re only visiting a camp for gifted youngsters, he joked. I know, isn’t it a riot? 

This is ridiculous, Owen said, flipping through the slick pages. I’m starting to think you made it all up and you’re trying to sell me to the mafia or something.

Oh, please, you know I don’t have this much of an imagination. Sam glanced over and saw Owen’s nervous expression. Don’t worry, I promise I’m not selling you to the mafia. This is going to be fun!

Owen tried to take deep breaths to settle his racing heart. He wasn’t sure he was ready to meet a camp full of people who had all been in this world longer than he had. The goofy pamphlet only made him anxious, like a he was little kid being patronized. He desperately wanted to fit in, and he hoped that he wouldn’t be too old. A lot of the kids in the pictures looked pretty young. Owen tried to reassure himself that his father had been his age when he first went to camp, and he had a great time. But the doubts still lingered.

He continued to look through the brochure with sweaty palms and half-heartedly make fun of it with his dad, but it did little to make him feel more confident. Soon they were pulling off of the highway and trundling down a dirt road. Sam had leaned forwards and was squinting at something in the road ahead of them. When they pulled up to it, Owen saw a small faded wooden arrow hammered into the ground. It said Camp Harmony in sloppily painted blue letters. Owen was growing increasingly apprehensive, but he kept his mouth shut as Sam turned the car into the narrow, partially hidden drive. 

Branches slapped the front of the car and skidded across the windows. The car swayed back and forth on the increasingly uneven drive. Owen leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He felt like they were driving through a tunnel of death to a serial killer’s cabin that awaited them.

We made a wrong turn, we’re both going to be murdered, Owen thought, his mind racing. He didn’t even notice the car had stopped until Sam got out and shut the door loudly. Owen jumped, his eyes flying open. 

A soft wow escaped his lips at the first sight of the camp. The first thing he noticed was the giant sign across the road. Both sides had thick wooden pillars with strange, triangular symbols carved into them, and across the top of the arch was CAMP HARMONY in blocky wooden letters hanging down from the horizontal bar. There was a path winding up the hill behind the arch, and Owen thought he could see cabins and a few people milling around. To the left, right inside the arch, a large brown and white house stood, camouflaged by the trees. That was the next thing Owen noticed. The entire area was surrounded by a forest extending for miles. Owen finally stepped out of the car and breathed in the crisp mountain air. He felt different up here. More, somehow.

Owen was pulled from his gawking when a man approached him and his father, coming out of the house. Owen thought he recognized him from the pamphlet. A strange boy also followed the man out of the house. Owen was very curious about the welcoming committee, and he sidled closer to Sam. 

When the pair was close enough, the man said, Welcome, Owen. My name is Brian Percival, and I am the director of this lovely establishment. He grinned down at Owen.

The only thing that Owen could think to say was, You’re bigger than I thought you would be. Brian Percival was very tall and muscular, at odds with his kindly face. Owen wasn’t sure why he had felt the need to comment on it.

The strange boy snickered. Brian Percival simply grinned serenely. He’s a fiery one, isn’t he, Logan? Brian Percival said to the boy. 

Logan smirked. It seemed to be a very natural expression on his pale face. Owen began to size the other boy up. Logan was slightly taller than Owen, though he was willowy, where Owen was stockier. Logan had very large, dark eyes that gave his face a look of almost feminine beauty, a trait that was accentuated by his thick, wavy blond hair falling slightly lower than his ears. Overall, he had a very polished appearance and the air of someone who expected the world to follow him. Owen disliked him straight away. 

Still, when Logan extended his hand, Owen accepted the cool, firm handshake. Logan’s eyes lit up when their hands touched, and Owen wasn’t sure why. Owen, I’m going to show you around today. Logan sounded more excited than he had been a moment before, and when he turned to Brian Percival he had a look of approval on his face.

The director enigmatically smiled even wider. Indeed. I am going to talk with this young man’s father in the house.

Sam gave Owen a thumbs-up and followed Brian Percival as he walked back to the house. They immediately started conversing in low voices, like they had something serious to discuss. Owen felt very vulnerable being suddenly alone with Logan. Logan smiled at Owen, though it looked more menacing than friendly. Come on, newbie. Go on up through the arch, Logan said.

Owen looked back at Logan uncertainly as he began to walk up to the arch. As soon as he stepped under it, everything slowed. He tried to keep walking at normal speed, but it felt like he was wading through waist-deep water. He looked back at Logan again, concerned that something had gone wrong. Logan, who had been staring at him expectantly, frowned and started up the hill to Owen. Owen turned back around and kept pushing forwards until–

Boom. Time went back to normal, Owen wasn’t moving in slow motion anymore, and Logan had appeared next to him, acting like nothing was wrong. The only thing that betrayed Logan’s calm as a façade was when he muttered, Okay. He made it through.

Owen squinted at Logan when he heard that. Does he think I can’t hear him? Owen thought. They were only standing about two feet apart.

Apparently Logan did think he was being covert, because he went back to acting disinterested, saying, Well, let’s go. I’ll show you the cabins first. And he started up the hill, leaving Owen to follow.

~ 2 ~

The people Owen saw before by the cabins had all disappeared. Logan said that they were the counselors, and they had their own duties to attend to. When asked what those duties were, Logan was frustratingly vague, but he did say it had to do with getting ready for the first day of camp tomorrow. Then he moved right on to talking about the cabins.

They were arranged in two parallel rows, with a flagpole in the center of the path between them. This, Logan explained, was to separate the boys from the girls. However, there was a pair of cabins with red roofs, as well as pairs of yellow, blue, and green. Each of them had a different triangular symbol on them, like the ones on the pillars of the arch. Logan said that they were split up based on unifying factors, which Owen assumed meant their elements.

Logan smirked after he said that, turning away to hide a laugh. Owen wasn’t sure he liked having Logan be his guide if he was going to keep being so weird. He was sure that he wasn’t getting the whole story. There was energy in the air, an energy Owen would have liked if he hadn’t felt like he was being misled. He wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to get Logan to tell him the truth, but he figured that he had nothing to lose by simply asking. 

Logan, why are you being so cryptic? What do the colors mean? Owen asked. You know I know about the whole elements thing, right?

Logan stopped in the middle of the path. You do? But your mother… Owen raised an eyebrow. I just mean, we all know about how your father left our world for her and kept you from it as well. I was under the impression that you didn’t know anything about us here at Camp Harmony. He seemed earnest enough, though it was clear he saw Owen as an outsider.

Owen’s face heated up, but he was determined not to let Logan have the satisfaction of embarrassing him. He was right; Owen knew nothing about Camp Harmony. And so far, he was feeling very unwelcome. I read the pamphlet, he said, trying for humor. Logan just stared at him. Owen sighed resignedly. Sorry for interrupting your tour. You were saying something about ‘unifying factors?’

Logan ran a hand through his hair, visibly uncomfortable. Let me just show you.

Owen was apprehensive, but his curiosity was enough for him to follow Logan as he went into one of the blue cabins. It seemed pretty standard for a summer camp cabin, with rows of bunk beds and corresponding shelves, though it was bigger on the inside than it had appeared. As they exited out the back door, things got more interesting. Owen was pretty sure most summer camps didn’t equip their cabins with giant fountains behind them. The water threw interesting reflections on the wall, making everything feel alive and dancing. The hair on the back of Owen’s neck stood up. Logan walked straight up to the fountain, seemingly unaffected, but Owen felt tingles down his spine in the presence of such magic.

Meanwhile, Logan was looking down into the water, hands extended on either side of his body. He took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, he lifted his hands and turned back to Owen. 

He had a globe of water the size of a watermelon balanced between his hands. 

Owen was floored. He kept glancing from the water to Logan’s face, who didn’t look like he was even concentrating that hard. However, Logan looked more scared than Owen had felt when he arrived. 

But now Owen knew what the strange energy was that he felt from this place. It was something stirring inside of him, an important part of who he was, awakening. Owen now knew this was where he belonged. 

A grin spread over Owen’s face. Logan’s eyes stopped seeming so terrified as he held the water out to Owen breathlessly. From the moment I shook your hand, I knew. Logan took a deep breath as though trying to calm himself down. This was the first hint of emotion he had shown, but he was trying to keep his aloof persona intact. Only people with Water abilities have hands as cold as mine. To most people, our hands are like ice. Logan gestured with the water. Take it.

I’ve never tried anything like this before. Owen was amazed by the display of power. He didn’t want to mention the fact that he didn’t know if he could do anything with the water. His father was the one with those powers, not him.

Owen reached for the water, concentrating intensely on it keeping its shape and keeping it in the air. The instant he touched it, the water burst into a shower of mist. Owen and Logan froze, shocked. You must balance with Fire, Logan said after a pause.

Owen wiped his damp face on his sleeve. What does that mean, balance with fire?

"Everyone here can control two elements. One is their