The
month of September marks new beginnings. For some it’s their very first day of
school. For others, it’s moving up a grade or even on to high school, college
or university. For many, it’s back to work, a return to routines, and moving
forward in the new season. However, autumn also marks the harvest season for
hard-working farmers who reap what they have sown throughout the late spring
and summer. I’m harvesting my own kind of crop by bundling Books 1-3 of the
Last Timekeepers series so readers can escape to the past, and have a blast anytime
of the year. Your reading adventure awaits…
Blurbs:
Books
1-3 in the Last Timekeepers series now available in one volume. Escape to the
past and have a blast!
The Last
Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis: After 13-year-old Amanda Sault and her classmates uncover a
mysterious stone arch, they learn that it's an ancient portal created by the
lost civilization of Atlantis. Chosen by an Atlantean Magus, Amanda and her
companions are swept into the secret world of the Timekeepers: legendary
guardians entrusted with preserving history from a sinister force known as
Belial.
The Last
Timekeepers and the Dark Secret:
In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam during World War 2, the Last Timekeepers are tasked
with locating an ancient book before it falls into enemy hands. With help from
the Dutch Resistance and a mysterious baron, they must stay one step ahead of a
regime determined to silence the truth.
The Last
Timekeepers and the Noble Slave:
On his third Timekeeper mission, eleven-year-old Drake Bailey must confront a
dark chapter of history: the antebellum South. In a time of fear and cruelty,
Drake must outwit his captors, protect a vital bloodline, and find the courage
to break the chains that threaten to destroy him. Do the Timekeepers have what
it takes to complete their mission and protect the timeline?
Excerpt from The Last Timekeepers
and the Arch of Atlantis:
They were almost inside the glowing archway. Its light felt
warm and welcoming, like the rising summer sun. Treena stuck her thumbs in the
straps of her khaki backpack as if it doubled as a magic parachute. Amanda
mimicked Treena and grasped the straps on Jordan’s backpack that she was still
wearing. Ravi was the only other person wearing one, so all the rest had
nothing to break their fall if that light suddenly cut them loose.
The brilliant, fathomless glow swallowed Amanda, blinding
her. Calm and silence overrode her senses. In that moment, two things
happened—Amanda sensed that there was no separation between her and the
others—as if they were all connected by these tiny threads of light. Second,
she started to feel as though she were free falling, moving fast and out of
control. She regained her vision, just as the white light exploded into a
whirling rainbow.
Drake laughed. “Wicked! This feels like a ride at
Disneyland!”
“It feels better than that!” Jordan replied. “I’ve been to
Disneyland twice, and there’s no ride that even comes close to this!”
“It’s as if we can fly!” Treena shouted, doing a somersault
in mid-air.
“It does feel wonderful, doesn’t it?” Melody said dreamily.
Amanda grabbed both ankles and flipped herself over. She
giggled. This freedom, this feeling, this flux was awesome. The huge, spiraling
rainbow surrounding the group of seven gently juggled them in mid-air like
floating balls in a never-ending lottery game. She glanced over at Jordan’s
uncle. His cheeks were sucked in, and his body flopped one way then another
like a fish out of water.
“Is your uncle okay, Jordan?” she asked.
Jordan maneuvered over to his uncle by spreading his arms
and legs wide as if he were a free-falling parachutist. He grasped his uncle’s
shoulder and shook him. “Uncle John? Uncle John! Don’t make me slap you again!”
He reached over, grabbed Jordan, and kissed him on the
forehead. “It’s all true, Jordan! It’s all true!”
Jordan squirmed. “What’s true?”
“Time flows through us,” he answered, his voice
cracking as if he were a young boy again.
The whirling rainbow burst into shards of light, and they
all touched bottom.
It felt soft—like a cushy trampoline—as Amanda, her
classmates, Melody, and Professor Lucas bounced easily until they all stood
still. Then the ground became solid again. Polished marble walls and finely
crafted pillars materialized through the fading light. A sudden high-pitched
buzzing noise made her wince. Everyone seemed to hear it too; they cringed in
unison. The sound of waves crashing against a shore replaced the buzzing, and a
set of deep purple curtains miraculously appeared in front of them. Amanda
rubbed her eyes. In the time it took her to take a breath, the curtains were
drawn. The brilliant white light that had pulled them into the stone arch now
hovered between the open curtains. It started to radiate out, then draw in,
out, then in, changing its shape with each rhythmic movement, until it finally
transformed into a woman.
The woman was beautiful in an otherworldly way. She had
long, fair, flowing hair adorned with quartz crystals. Piercing blue eyes
stared back at Amanda like she was peering into her soul. She had a long narrow
face with high cheek bones that tapered down to a firm chin. Her nose was long
and slender. Amanda smiled at her. The woman smiled back. Her teeth were white,
small, and even. She was perfect in every way. A rich-blue sleeveless linen
robe adorned her slim body, accentuating her ivory skin.
I wonder if she’s a princess. Amanda didn’t doubt it, especially with all the jewelry
the woman wore. A sparkling metallic snake bracelet wound around her left arm,
a string of gleaming pearls and shells hung around her neck, and a silver belt
strewn with various green, blue, and red gems hugged her waist. The only piece
of clothing that didn’t seem to belong was a plain pair of woven sandals.
Melody pushed Drake behind her and took a few steps
forward. “I demand that you tell us where we are!”
The beautiful woman gave Melody a gentle smile, and nodded.
She opened her arms wide and said, “Welcome to the Temple of Poseidon, in the
City of the Golden Gates.”
Melody jerked. “I-I beg your pardon?”
“Atlantis,” Professor Lucas answered in a whisper. “We’re
in Atlantis.”
Excerpt from The Last Timekeepers
and the Dark Secret:
“I wonder what else is
down here.” Drake beamed his cell phone across the basement, hitting jars of
jams, pickles, and relishes. His stomach growled.
Jordan pulled the cheese
from his pocket and handed it to Drake. “Trade you for your phone.”
“Best. Trade. Ever.”
Drake passed his phone to Jordan.
Jordan walked over and
grabbed a jar of pickles off the dusty shelf. At least they wouldn’t arrive at
the baron’s place hungry. He hoped his uncle had managed to stop Amanda’s
bleeding. His hand tightened over the jar, the ridges of the lid cutting into his
palm. A scrape from behind the shelves made Jordan jump.
“Hello?” he asked,
pushing jars aside. He flashed the cell phone into the small, dark area.
“Who ya talking to,
Jordan?” Drake asked with his mouth full of cheese.
“Shhh, Drake.” Jordan
listened. Hearing nothing, he shrugged and turned back around.
“I thought I heard—”
Jordan stopped and pointed the phone at Ravi. His jaw dropped. “A-Are you
serious, Sharma?”
Drake spat out his
cheese, snorting with laughter.
“Is there a problem?”
Ravi asked, tying the bowtie of his tuxedo.
“You look like a penguin
with attitude!” Drake slapped his knee.
“Say what you want, but
I’m glad we didn’t hit the cleaners on the way to school now,” Ravi replied,
pulling down his sleeves, “or else I wouldn’t have these dry clothes.”
Jordan chuckled.
Suddenly, he heard a door creak open, followed by heavy footsteps squeaking
down the stairs. Panicking, Jordan stuffed Drake’s phone in his track suit
jacket’s pocket and waved Drake over by the shelves. Drake slipped behind
Jordan just in time, before the small light bulb above the bottom of the stairs
clicked on. Jordan swallowed hard. There, staring directly at Ravi was a portly
man in a blood-stained apron. Tufts of blond hair sprouted from the sides of
his balding head. His brown trousers were pulled up past his waist, making him
resemble an evil garden gnome. In one of his hands, he held a huge butcher
knife, its blade flecked with blood.
Wielding the knife, the
man pointed at Ravi. “Who are you?”
Ravi licked his thick
lips nervously. “The name’s Bond. James Bond.”
Excerpt from The Last Timekeepers
and the Noble Slave:
Drake glanced at Elvis
standing by the back of the wagon, and their eyes locked. He didn’t appear to
be dressed like the slaves Drake remembered in movies or had seen in textbooks.
Wearing a dark frock coat over a white linen shirt, and a pair of tan trousers,
Elvis seemed dressed more for city living instead of country life. He smiled at
Drake and tipped his charcoal derby at him again. “Is…is Elvis your slave?” Drake
asked.
“He’ll be free once I
pass on.” The sides of Dixie’s hazel eyes crinkled. “But Elvis sometimes thinks
he’s the one who wears the pants on account he takes care of me. Taught him how
to read and write as best I could, but as you see, people don’t know what to
make of him. His skin’s lighter than some white folks I know.”
“So Elvis is an albino.”
Drake rubbed his chin. “I thought so. His skin would be the same color as mine
if it wasn’t for the lack of a particular enzyme in his body.”
“Not sure what the devil
you said, but sounds like you’re one smart boy. If I was you, I wouldn’t show
off your schooling to the people ’round here. Folks don’t take too kindly to
educated blacks, free or not.”
“Don’t worry, Dixie,
he’ll keep his mouth shut.” Jordan nudged Drake. “Right?”
“When hell freezes
over,” Drake whispered to Jordan. He looked up at Dixie and grinned. “Right.”
“Let’s go, children,
into the wagon.” Melody gave them the come along sign. “We don’t want to take
up any more of Dixie’s valuable time.”
Dixie guffawed. “Pay no
mind to the time, Melody. My pappy taught me that you get what you need in
life, and I got plenty of time to help others get to where they need to be.”
The sound of Treena
grunting into the back of the wagon made Amanda giggle. Drake caught Treena
scowling at Amanda while Jordan helped her in. Ravi followed Jordan, careful
not to brush his sherwani against the rough wooden sides. The wagon creaked
against the added weight, but it seemed sturdy enough to transport them on the
rugged dirt road. The Prof assisted Melody into the wagon, and she found a
place next to Treena near the front. Jordan and Amanda sat next to each other
near the back gate, while Ravi brushed away the dust from one of the sacks of
grain before he planted his butt on it. Drake had never known Ravi to be this
anal about anything, especially clothes.
“Come on, Drake,” The
Prof held out his hand, “last but not least.”
Drake started toward the
wagon and stopped, feeling a twinge in his bladder. Looking both ways, he spied
a copse of tall shrubs leafy enough to allow him some privacy. “Um, give me a
sec, Prof. Nature calls.”
“Hold on, I’ll come with
you.”
“No thanks. I think I
can handle this task.”
Drake darted toward the
shrubs before Professor Lucas or Melody could protest. Finding the most
appropriate spot, he unzipped his pants and proceeded with his business. As
soon as he was done, he zipped up his pants the same time a calloused hand
roughly covered his mouth. Drake’s neck muscles corded while he was dragged
deeper into the forest with what felt like a gun shoved between his shoulder
blades.
UNIVERSAL BOOK LINK: https://books2read.com/u/b5ExvR
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