The Coming Dawn Trilogy
by
Austen Knowles
KINDLE EDITION
*****
PUBLISHED BY:
Austen Knowles on Kindle
The Coming Dawn Trilogy
Copyright © 2014 by Austen Knowles
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced with this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
This eBook was edited by Judy Stone.
stonewrightediting.blogspot.com
Dedication:
Book One
For my husband,
And our amazing children!
Book Two
Mom, this book is for you—
With the introduction of Luanda the Weird,
And to all my loving family!
Book Three
For my fans!
Thank you for reading all three!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
A STAR IS BORN
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
A STOLEN MOMENT
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
RISE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A Star is Born
CHAPTER ONE
Kylie was blind; not even shadows defined the darkness. Lost didn’t begin to explain where she was. The new sounds and smells were frightening. She was stumbling along in search for somebody, anybody to help her get home. How did she get here? In retrospect, she knew, but certainly didn’t understand. It all began…
*****
The great hall gradually filled with costumed-clad actors ready to rehearse. The place rung with mirth like a whimsical song of indistinct lyrics and laughter, making it hard to concentrate. Nonetheless, Kylie wasn’t deterred with the disruption and knew her lines well.
The fact she memorized her lines with confidence wasn’t impressive; she’d landed an inconsequential role. In the beginning of the musical play called “The Highland Spirits” she played a wild, vicious dryad wearing an elaborate dress that twinkled under the spotlight.
The leading lady, Denise Fields, received the coveted role of queen, because she was a talented, beautiful blonde and already earned a Broadway debut. Her sylph-like grace on stage made every female envious; Kylie was no exception.
Kylie didn’t doubt that her appearance made her lose the desired role of queen. She was often overlooked because of her plain features. With a mop of kinky red hair, and too thin frame, she was rarely chosen for lead roles outside of school, because there was nothing striking about her. Her hazel eyes, thin lips, and ball nose that she hated: a curse of the Calendars’ who shared the mix of Irish and English features.
Kylie acted since she was six, mostly in school, she even won trophies for her performances, but she never had the beauty to match her talent or her love for theater. Kylie wanted to be a star. Her ambitions drove her to audition for every play she heard about. Throughout her high school career, she had been cast in several leading roles. If the part was a male lead she simply put on a mustache and convincingly dropped her voice an octave. Now in college, she sought paying gigs. But outside school, she was chosen for smaller roles.
In all of her years being on stage, the one thing she never learned was how to cope with the bitter disappointment of losing. She didn’t handle failure well, and in Kylie’s mind, there was no such thing. She never gave up, which is why she knew one day she would make it to the big screen. Meanwhile, she would simply smile through her letdowns, and so, Kylie plastered a grin on her face as she stood tall while she recited her lines in the rowdy hall.
“Don’t you dare touch him, you foul beast!” The worst line was her second because it didn’t make sense. She’d suspend thirty feet above stage, and flutter over a man who played the pale blue troll with moles upon moles. Hovering was theatrics to show the director’s big budget and he stuffed in special effects wherever possible. So, they wanted her to fly back and forth high above the stage as the troll poked and prodded the narrator, who played possum for several minutes as he introduced the rest of the play.
Their little skit had nothing to do with the following scenes, but the weak introduction had to somehow reveal the strange tale soon to unfold. A story of a far off parallel world with romance, magic, sword fights, betrayal and loyalty, peculiar creatures, exotic lands, odd foreign customs, and of course the ongoing battle between good and evil. So, she delivered her lines hoping if she played them well, the director would see her potential.
“Touch him and you’ll regret it with your life; I have the power to destroy you with a touch of my hand. Get away from him, you stinky beast,” Kylie bellowed out over the babble, and inwardly cringed because no one paid attention, not even the director. Kylie recited her lines even louder as she stood in one spot in the middle of the stage.
“Quiet!” Neil Holmen, the director, roared at the top of his
lungs. “I can’t even hear myself think. And can someone get me coffee? Not you Kylie!” He rolled his eyes, exasperated when she began to leave the stage. She jumped at his every command, hoping to be noticed, and forgot she was on stage.
The hall fell silent the moment she murmured an apology. Now blushing, she tried to deliver her lines again when Neil glared at her. She had only spoken a few words when Neil waved his hands, stopping her. “This isn’t working. None of these people know how to act. This doesn’t even come close to what I saw in my dream. How am I supposed to put on a play in less than two weeks when no one here is doing his or her job except me? Where’s my coffee? See? I can’t even get coffee.” Neil took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Who is this girl?” he asked his protégé as he pointed to Kylie with his frames. “She’s an eye sore at best.”
“This is Kylie Calendars. She was highly recommended and is the girl with the rewards,” Alex, a man in his mid-twenties with black horned-rimmed spectacles answered, then covered his mouth to whisper. However, the hall had excellent acoustics and from any given point in the room the smallest sound could be heard. “She showed a lot of potential in her rehearsal, remember?”
“Oh, yes! But wasn’t she wearing red?” Neil asked, as his eyes narrowed and he nodded as if he was recalling from memory what she looked like.
“Yes, I believe she was,” Alex replied and looked at Kylie again.
“Then put her in the red-sequined fairy costume and I don’t want to see her on my stage until she’s changed.” Neil needlessly spoke louder to address Kylie: “Did you hear me, sugar lips? Get a move on. Five minute break everyone.” Then Neil mumbled under his breath: “Goof-off as you were.”
Kylie raced to the changing room, and when she was putting on the new red-sequined gown, she was close to tears at the way he humiliated her in front of her peers. To make matters worse, the door opened and Denise Fields moseyed in. With one look at Kylie she offered, with an overly soothing voice, to help her tie up the lace bodice in the back. As Denise weaved the lace in a few loops, she studied Kylie in the mirror. Kylie was quiet, and tried hard to swallow her jealousy and not glare. All Kylie saw were blonde hair, blue eyes, and perfectly white teeth as she smiled with pity.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Denise said. “I can’t tell you how many times he’s yelled at me. Of course he always quiets the room before he does it.” She smirked, and then jerked Kylie backward as she yanked the lace tight. “The trick is to picture him naked, and not just nude, but hairy and gross. That’s when I start feeling sorry for him. I mean, how can anyone love such a furry slime ball? If you ask me, he’s not married because he’s part werewolf. Maybe at night, he transforms into one.” Denise snickered and winked in the reflection of the mirror, delighted by the thought. Kylie watched her, finding it peculiar she’d say such a thing. Some people were truly awkward when they spoke, and Denise was one of those people unless on stage.
“Your name is Kylie, right?” Kylie responded with a small nod. “Well, you’re actually extremely talented, and in this red fairy costume he’ll start paying attention and see how good you really are. If you ask me, he cast you wrong. You should be one of the witches, and if I were you I’d learn Vanessa’s role and hope she gets sick.” Denise sniggered as she scrunched her nose as if she knew how terrible it was to hope someone ill. Yet she didn’t skip a beat, “You should straighten your hair, too. Your beauty would be one point higher.”
“You mean on a scale of one to ten, I’d be one point prettier?” Kylie asked, confused.
“Yes, that is what I mean. Right now you’re a seven, but straighten your hair, I’m guessing you’d be an eight or nine.” Kylie laughed, because that was generous. She shyly thanked Denise. “My hair is curly, too, and I straighten it.” Denise smiled, as Kylie gazed in the mirror thinking softer and uniform curls would look much better on her.
Denise once again tugged the lace string before tying a bow. Kylie felt torn, and no longer knew if she was jealous or grateful. Denise said bizarre things, but her words were endearing and genuine. Kylie thanked her, and then left in a hurry to get back to the hall.
Kylie entered the stage far right and stood on her temporary mark. Neil wasn’t back yet, but Alex was waiting for him with a steaming cup of coffee. He gave Kylie an approving smile for standing in an adequate spot, without telling her.
While waiting, she fidgeted with the long torn strands that dangled from the base of her sheer wings. Neil finally came back with a lit cigarette. He habitually puffed the tobacco down to the filter. Apparently, the last two drags were enough of a temptation to bring it indoors. Neil sucked in smoke, drank his coffee, and then blew out the last of the smoke through his nose. He put out the cigarette, sat, and then addressed Kylie while looking like a fire-breathing dragon. “Now this is more like it. You look completely different. Look, Alex, she’s pretty again. At least you don’t look twelve anymore. We’ll raise the hem six inches for sex appeal. Let’s take this from the top, but I’ll remind you one more time that you are not standing on mark. I like you center stage for now.”
Kylie knew this to be incorrect. Neil continually asked her to stand closer to him so he could see her subtle expressions. Besides, she was to be hoisted in the air, and it didn’t matter, but she didn’t correct him. She moved to center stage quickly. When both feet were solidly on the trapdoor, it unexpectedly gave way.
She dropped and fell hard on the stage, hitting her ribs on the floorboards. Her legs dangled wildly beneath the stage for a split second until the weight of her body dragged her down. Instantly, she slipped. Kylie scratched the wood for something to grip. She fell so unexpectedly that she didn’t have time to catch herself. She descended straight through the trap, and the last thing she heard was Neil yelling, “You have got to be kidding me!”
CHAPTER TWO
Kylie didn’t immediately land on the ground. It felt as if she plummeted a few stories, because there was enough time to claw at what felt like rock. Then the sharp stone abruptly ended, and a second later she splashed into a foot of water. The wind was knocked out of her, but her bruised ribs were making it hard to breathe. Even more bizarre than jagged rock under the stage and falling at least sixty feet, the ripples of the pool glowed a soft lime green before fading to black when still. Kylie never saw anything like the florescent water, and waved her hand in the shallows. The fluid light was beautiful, mesmerizing even.
At first sight, everything around her was dark, except the orange, glowing eels that swam toward her. From what little she could see, she was in a dark cave, and not beneath the stage. Kylie stood, and attempted to catch her breath. Her ribs were making it almost impossible to suck in enough air and she gasped for breath. She must have cracked her bones when she hit the floor.
She noticed that when she moved, the orange eels seemed disoriented. She froze so she could watch their curious nature, and once again they headed toward her. The closer they got, the more uneasy she became, and decided it best not to hold still. They were ugly little creatures with creepy shriveled faces.
“Hello?” she called out. There was no reply. She didn’t see how she’d entered the cave. There was no hole in the ceiling, which was peculiar and perplexing. She screamed louder and shakier than she intended, but in such a strange place it was natural to be frightened. How did she get here if there was no hole?
The next few things that happened were so quick and strange she had difficulty comprehending them. She looked down when she noticed a soft radiance that didn’t come from orange eels or green water. Her skin changed to a glimmering soft pink that was so pale the hue was almost white. The red glittering sequined gown began to shine, too. When she raised her arm closer so she could see, the dress was melting into her skin, but it didn’t hurt. The swirls of the gown etched her skin like winding ivy vines. They curled around her fingertips and simultaneously down her legs and arms. Mesmerized by the beauty of the elaborate, red, curling tattoo, she watched in awe. “H
ow?” she breathed.
Before she could react, her pinkish skin glowed warm with soothing heat. Suddenly, her flesh was scorching. She felt like she would soon burst into flames. Kylie could feel herself heating up from the inside. All her organs were cooking. The light from her skin illuminated the enormous cave. She could see water that stretched for miles, with sprouting short trees that grew sparsely within the vast swamp of the cave. She wasn’t in an underground pipe under the great hall.
The light from her body became brighter. Her eyes weren’t use to the intense glare. She closed them, but to no avail. The light was still blinding her as if the inside of her eyes were beaming out brilliance as intense as the sun. She screamed, unable to withstand the pain; her frightened voice didn’t even sound like hers. She could hear the torture in her desperate call for help. The sound of her ghastly shriek frightened her even more.
Then a burning burst of blinding light exploded from within her before everything went dark and cold. All that was left was her terrified scream in the shadows, but it died away also.
It was the water. She knew the strange water did something to her. She knew it. She had to get out of the water. “Help! I’m down here. Help!”
Kylie took a few steps before realizing she could no longer see the glowing water or eels. She raised her hand, but couldn’t see her fingers even when her palm was touching her nose. “Help!” She screeched when she realized something horrifying—she couldn’t see. The blinding light took her eyesight. How it was possible, she had no idea. “Help!” Her shaky voice cracked. “I can’t see. I can’t see!”
Kylie groped for the wall, which she knew to be close. The water was getting shallower as she waded toward the barrier of the cave. When she felt the cool, ankle-deep water, she found the rock edge of the cave.
“Anyone? Help! Please!” She continued to shout as she inched along. There had to be an exit; she wasn’t going to give up until she found a way out.
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