Under the Shadow of Darkness: Book 1 of the Apprentice Series (22 page)

“Exactly.” Nes’egrinon smiled as he took a seat next to the boy.

“I don’t understand.”

“What you are seeing. You said it. What you are seeing is life. Life. These people are living it. Just everyday life. Don’t you get it?”

“No,” Bel replied as he shook his head slowly.

“The source of all our power, of all power everywhere, the very act of creation from the very beginning is life.”

“All First Years are taught that.”

The old man spoke softly, “But did you learn? Look and see. Open your eyes. The power that we ask to work for us is life itself. It is in every living being and every creature and here it is right in front of you; life being lived. This is the only true source of magic.”

The two were silent for a time, Bel thoughtful and observant, Nes’egrinon smiling widely.

“Master, how did we do it? How did we defeat Rylithnon? Why did the breach slam closed?”

“It is hard to say. Darkness always flees from light, does it not?”

“I suppose,” Bel replied somewhat unsatisfied. “But was it our magic?”

“Now that is an insightful question. I like to think that it wasn’t. I like to think that it was something inside of us. That somehow, when we rejected the pull, when we rejected the darkness inside of ourselves that we somehow caused something to happen. That the act of resistance, of fighting against the darkness, was enough to defeat it. In my experience evil is always defeated if we stand, face it and fight it. It is only when we give up that we lose to the darkness.”

“Maybe. Yes. I think that is true.” Bel paused as he watched the children. “I’m just sure glad that you weren’t dead.”

“Me too. It is amazing that we made it through. Kerlith and Alexius too; I was glad to return them to the Keep. What other questions do you have that I cannot answer?” Nes’egrinon beamed. He was in an uncharacteristically delightful mood.

“I have many questions. I am sure you can answer some. Others probably not. What is to become of Kerlith, I wonder. Will he find a new master? Since you are not a seer, I am sure you will not know. How did you call the great birds that carried us out of the stone lands and back to the Keep? Now that is a question I really would like answered but perhaps you will say that I am not ready to know. I would love to know about your son, how did you have him and how did he become your apprentice? I would love to know all of that but of course it would be inappropriate for me to ask. Maybe one day I will find out. Yes, I have many questions. But for now I would be content to relax and watch these people live life in the full light of the noonday sun.”

The two looked back out at the people as they went about doing things. After a time Nes’egrinon said with a wide smile, “Apprentice,” as he placed his arm around Bel’s neck and rested his old wrinkled hand on his shoulder. “Tomorrow we start your training. Tomorrow you start your journey. Never again will I call you Fifth Year for at this moment you have become my apprentice.”

End

Book One of the Apprentice Series

If you have enjoyed this book, please be so kind as to provide a review of it on both
amazon
and
goodreads
. This will serve the dual purpose of letting me know what you thought of it which will influence my future writing and also help expose the book to other potential readers. Thank you so much.

Also, if you would like to give me direct personal feedback, you can message me on goodreads.

I would like to thank a handful of readers and fellow authors who have taken the time to carefully review this book and provide meaningful feedback to make it that much better.

Emily Beckwith

Tracy Boehmer

Terri Christie

Kirsten Jany

Marc Secchia

Gabriella and Dr. Duggan’s Secret Dimensional Transport Machine

(Book 1 of the NuGen series)

ISBN: 978-0-9850284-5-9

How can unmodified Gabriella compete with genetically designed super athletes? Could it have something to do with her father’s death? Did she become this way because of a genetic experiment her father conducted? Who killed her father and why? Are they after her? A mind-boggling teleportation machine lies at the center of this riveting adventure.

Santa Claus vs. The Aliens

ISBN: 978-0-9850284-6-6

When Edwin Cardona unwittingly cuts his finger, dripping a few drops of blood onto a bone-colored tracking device he becomes a target of a group of aliens that think he holds the secret to the human race’s defeat. The only person who seems to know what to do is a fat man wearing a Santa Claus suit and he somehow seems to know just a little too much. Who is he and why does he know so much? Where did the aliens come from and what are they after? Can a Fourteen year old wandering the cold, empty streets of Manhattan late on Christmas Eve and an odd character dressed as Santa Claus stop the aliens and save the planet?

James Cardona has written five books as yet including two non-fiction works, two young adult science fiction novels and his first fantasy novel which you hold in your hands. He is planning on writing many, many more, including the release of the second installment of the NuGen series in 2014.

For his fiction, James tries to make his words come alive by pouring his real-life experiences into his characters such that many of the details described in his books actually happened and are told from the perspective of someone who was there. He also enjoys integrating a hard science approach to his science fiction, feeling that all aspects of his story telling, although perhaps not currently possible, could actually happen once our technology evolves.

James enjoys all things that can unleash the creative process including drawing, painting and creative writing and the not-so-typical such as robot design and writing computer code. He loves tinkering with computers, electronics and building robots and is the Lead Engineer for FIRST Robotics Team 316, a High School Robotics team operating out of Salem Community College.

Additionally James helps organize and run the PSEG Nuclear Salem County Math Showcase which he created back in the year 2000, a math competition for students from grades four through eight, typically attended each year by approximately 500-600 students.

James received his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Delaware with a minor in Religious Studies. He lives in Southern New Jersey and works as a Senior Test Engineer for the Laboratory and Testing Services group of the Public Service Electric and Gas Company.

In his last year of high school, Issa Cardona is feverishly preparing for college interviews, testing and campus visits. He plans on majoring in Physics and minoring in Mathematics. In his nonexistent spare time he loves to read science fiction and fantasy and kills at League of Legends. He is also in charge of the mechanical design sub-team on his High School Robotics team.