Grandelyn
Page 1
Grandelyn
Dionne Lee Nelson
Grandelyn
Copyright © 2012 Dionne Lee Nelson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright owner. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Illustrations and covers: David Padilla and Dionne Lee Nelson
For more information about the author, please visit dionneleenelson.com
ISBN-13:978-1470079604
ISBN-10:1470079607
Printed in the United States of America
To the big and beautiful and to anyone who has ever felt less than….
-Dionne
Contents
Prologue
The History
The Mystery of Kalos
The Revealing
Origins of the Soul Realm
Beginning of the War
Kalos and the Defeated Minions
The Journey
Kalos the Beckoning
The Land of Grandelyn
The Minions Search
Amazing
Elai
Solitaire
The Dark Palace
The Journey Ends
Transitioning
The Empire and the Warrior’s Ball
Ariyah and the Ig
Restoration
The Crowning of the Queen
Grandelyn Now
Ferocities Now
Alarmed
Revelation
A Vision
Solution to the Problem
Preparations
The Battle
Epilogue
Prologue
610 A.D.
It was dawn. Between the white dunes stood a woman over six feet tall and almost as round as the Earth. Adding to her girth was the unborn child she carried. Out of breath from running, the woman stood concentrating, stolen sword in hand. In her dirty tattered beige clothing, she took a savage fighter's stance, wielding the sword up to shield her chest. As she heard the sand ripple from behind her, her ears perked up like a cat. Her eyes scanned every direction, making sure to protect all her sides. Once again she heard the sand ripple.
A gust of wind blew as the first metal-clad soldier leapt toward her. She swung the sword, blocking his oncoming blow to her face. Quickly she turned as a second soldier leapt at her from the side. She swiped at his feet. He grabbed her and put her in a choke hold but as she kicked the first soldier she thrust her sword into the other soldier's throat. He screamed and fell over in pain as blood began to spill on the beautiful white sand. The soldiers were angrier now. They thought this mission was going to be easy, but not with this woman. She would not be going down without a fight.
Back in her fighter's stance, the wind began to pickup as sand flew around rapidly. By now four more soldiers came to the dunes. Her heart began to race harder because she knew this was the fight of her life. Being sure to guard the growing baby in her stomach; she timed herself for the first attack. Two soldiers lunged at her. She began to spin around, using her sword like a helicopter propeller. Blood and body parts splattered against the earth. A war cry came from another soldier as he ran toward her in hopes of landing a punch or a kick. But every move he made was either blocked or counterattacked. At 350 pounds, this woman fought like a samurai warrior.
Yet another soldier threw daggers at her. They struck both her arm and leg. But she kept fighting. She threw her sword at the soldier, and it found its mark in his unguarded chest.
With three dead soldiers down and a fourth badly wounded, she thought she had won the fight. Suddenly she felt the ground rumble. Breathing deeply as blood and sweat glistened on her caramel skin, her ears were soon filled with the sound of galloping horses. She quickly got back into fight stance and the soldiers on black horses appeared. She knew she could take them all on.
The wounded soldier pointed toward her and cried out “She's with child! There! Look! She's with child! Attack her belly!” With that, the fighter in her became the mother and she dropped the sword, shielding her stomach with her big brown arms.
“Charge!” The horse soldiers rushed toward the woman, throwing darts that struck her back and legs. One soldier landed a star dagger in her stomach. She cried out in pain, and went down trying to protect her baby. She fell forward but continued to hold her belly. She cradled herself. The soldiers hog tied her, strapped her to four horses and carried her away. The immense pain and worry became too much for her, and she passed out. The once beautiful white dunes, considered a primary attraction of a majestic land of beauty, were now covered with a trail of blood. It served as a reminder that the location is where a fight began. And perhaps as a sign that many more were to come.