Broken Beginnings

C.R. Rice

Description

Thane Matthias: adoptive brother to lost heir of the Realm, best friend to a man of questionable taste in desserts, uplifting light to all who know him, and swordsman extraordinaire.

But before he took a free dive into the world of magic and war, he was an average kid of above average height. His days were filled with sports, friends, and spending time with the world’s coolest mom. In short, Thane’s life was perfect.

Only perfection isn’t meant for this world and his happiness is brought to a screeching halt.

On an average Wednesday night, in the eleventh year of his life, darkness makes a devastating entrance and violently rips Thane’s mother from his side. Angry, and alone, he is shipped off to live with a woman and her strange, less than stealthy, fox eared wearing daughter.

Every hero has a backstory, prepare yourself for an inside look at Thane’s.

Sujets

• Imaginaire
• Suspense
• Supernatural
• Young Adult Fiction
• Thrillers
• Young Adult
• Suspenso

Informations

• Publié par: 4 Horsemen Publications, Inc.
• Date de parution: 15 juin 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781644502662
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Table o f Contents
Dedication
C hapter One
C hapter Two
Cha pter Three
Ch apter Four
Ch apter Five
C hapter Six
Cha pter Seven
Cha pter Eight
Ch apter Nine
C hapter Ten
Chap ter Eleven
Chap ter Twelve
Chapte r Thirteen
Chapte r Fourteen
Chapt er Fifteen
Chapt er Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapte r Eighteen
Chapte r Nineteen
Chap ter Twenty
Mo re to Come
The Re alm Series
About the Author










Broken Beginnings (The Story o f Thane)
Copyright © 2021 C.R. Rice. All rights r eserved.


4 Horsemen Publicatio ns, Inc.
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Dunedin, FL 34698
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Cover by Battle Goddess Pro ductions
Typesetting by Michel le Cline
Editor Vanessa Valiente
All rights to the work within are reserved to the author and publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 International Copyright Act, without prior written permission except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Please contact either the Publisher or Author to gain per mission.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used ficti tiously.
Library of Congress Control Number: 20 21939708
Audio ISBN: 978-1-644 50-265-5
EBook ISBN: 978-1-644 50-266-2
Print ISBN: 978-1-644 50-267-9


Dedication

To Correy, for believing in me and your loving, yet forceful shove into the abyss of th e unknown.
Thank you.






C hapter One

Th ane age 11
T he thud of a ball bouncing against the sun-warmed asphalt echoed in the air, mingling with the laughter of children, cheers of teammates, and the smell of adolescent boys not wearing enough deodorant. Thane Mattias dribbled the ball, hunched in place, his eyes locked on his opponent while quintessentially watching his teammates struggle to escape their guards. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, leaving a track through the dirt and grime as his mind raced for a solution. He wasn’t just competitive; he thrived in the thrill of the game. He fought to get to the top of everything he did. Like a lion stalking its prey, he watched, calculated, and trained until he was the best. He had to be the best.
Faking a move to the left, Thane spun around his guard and raced down the court. He felt a small smile begin to crease his face as victory closed in, the feel of the ball and cheers from his friends was the high he lived for, the reason, he always strived for greatness. Another step and he was shooting the ball, nothing but the crisp sound of the net before the crowd exploded.
The piercing sound of a whistle tore through the cheers and it was all over. “Game! Nice work Mattias,” the coach called from the sidelines. Groans mingled with cheers as a smile nearly split Thane’s face. Turning, he looked to his teammates and was bombarded by slaps of the shoulders and high fives. “Good job at practice today, guys! Go home and shower. God knows you need it.” The coach chuckled.
“That was awesome dude!” a teammate shouted a tad too close.
“Thanks,” Thane flinched, his ear beginnin g to ring.
“Great shot!” another agreed, slapping his shoulder.
“You rock!” Thane smiled at the growing crowd, the faces blending until he wasn’t sure who was sa ying what.
“Alright guys, let him through! Let him through,” Mark demanded, his hands firmly on Thane’s shoulders as he guided them from t he masses.
“Thanks, Mark.” Thane grinned, turning back to wave once more.
“Anytime. Do you want to come over and hang out tonight?” Mark asked, leading them to the nearby bleachers.
“Can’t, it’s Wednesday,” Thane said, reaching down to collect his bag. Throwing it over his shoulder, he waved goodbye to a few remaining teammates and followed Mark through the gate.
“Right, forgot. You and your mom have a standing date,” Mark teased, bumping Thane’s shoulder.
“Yep, sure do,” Thane agreed, unphased by his friend’ s teasing.
“So, where are you guys going tonight?” Mark inquired.
Thane rubbed the back of his sweat-drenched head and shrugged. “I’m not sure. I picked last time, so mom picks tonight. Probably going to be some weird half-cooked place again.” Thane grimaced at the thought. The last time mom chose where to eat out on their one night-a-week dinner, she had brought him to get sushi, the thought of the raw fish still turned Thane’ s stomach.
“You know sushi isn’t as bad as you make it out to be. My sister brought me someone time and I thought it was good.”
“Yeah, well I like my food cooked,” Thane muttered, adjusting the straps o n his bag.
“Thane! Over here!” an excited voice called. Immediately, Thane was pulled from his disgruntled mumbling as his head jerked up to find the source of the voice. A wide smile split his face at the sight of his mother jumping and waving her arms excitedly. Julia Matthias was energy personified. Her light brown hair, glowing honey eyes, and friendly aura made it easy to see why she made such a great nurse. Motherly nature seemed to ooze from her very pores and was a soothing salve to anyone sick o r in pain.
“Catch you later dude.” Mar k laughed.
“See you,” Thane said, giving a quick nod of his head before darting off in his mother’s direction. While other boys his age would be embarrassed and have their faces glow a vibrant red, Thane found his mother’s enthusiasm refreshing, like that first sip of cold lemonade on a summer day. Sure, his friends often made fun of him, calling him a ‘mommy’s boy’ and such, but was it truly such a bad thing to be? When he was a few feet away he spread his arms wide and captured his mother in a tight hug.
“Oh, honey, you smell terrible.” His mother laughed, squeezing hi m tighter.
Though Thane was only eleven, his five-foot-two frame was easily toppling his mother’s slim and short five foot. While they shared the same light brown hair, that was where their similarities ended. He had always been told his crystal blue eyes and above average-height came from his father’s side. The father he had never met, the hero that had died to protect their country. Or at least, that’s what his mother had always told him.
“Did you have a good day?” she asked, pul ling away.
Thane smiled and nodded his head. “Yeah, it was good.”
“Did you learn anything new?” she asked, climbing into the old, yet reliable, blue car.
Thane tossed his bag into the backseat, and snapped his seat belt into place, with a nonchalant shrug. “No t really.”
Julia shook her head, an amused grin on her face. “Nine hours of school and not a single new thing learned? Why do I even send you?”
“Law required,” Than e smirked.
Julia shook her head as she started the car. The familiar rumble followed by the expected pop had her nodding her head. Many would assume by the slightly chipped paint and faded interior that she simply couldn’t afford another car, but those people would be wrong. Julia prided herself on getting the most out of everything that she had. Why get rid of something that still had some life l eft to it?
“What about you mom? Anything interesting happens at work?”
Julia shrugged and forced a smile, answering the loaded question with a simple, “Just t he usual.”
“What’s the usual?” Thane wondered, noticing his mother’s suddenly rigid and tense posture. Her hands gripped the wheel so tightly the blood was drained, leaving them white with strain. “Everyth ing okay?”
Julia nodded, bouncing slightly in her seat as she waited for the light to change. “Just a difficult day, working with people who refuse the medication that keeps them in a good place, will do that.”
Thane frowned, he wasn’t quite sure what she meant, but she was an adult and a mom, so she knew what she was doi ng. Right?
“I saw that last shot you made back there, it was really something. It seemed like the coach was impressed.” his mother’s praise interrupted his tumbling thoughts and brought another beaming smile to his lips. “Yeah, I guess,” he said with a carel ess shrug.
Julia laughed and shook her head. “Now, now, don’t pretend to be modest just because I’m your mom.”
Thane rolled his eyes. “So, what’s the plan for tonight?”
His mother beamed over at him. “Chinese food and bowling. What do y ou think?”
Thane groaned in mock horror. “But, mom, we do that ev ery week.”
Shaking her head, Julia urged the car forward as the light changed. “Hey, traditions are important in life.”


C hapter Two

“A lright, what does yours say?” Julia eagerly demanded. She watched her son slowly set his fork down, rolling his crystal blue eyes, while fighting the urge to smile. As much as he hated to admit it, she knew that he loved the fortune cookies just as much as she did. While he tore open his cookie, Julia looked over the growing boy wit h a smile.
He had been such a handsome, chunky baby. With his plump cheeks and roll-covered arms and legs. She had thought it a miracle when he had pulled himself up and took his first steps. Resting her chin in her hand, she looked him over and took in the subtle changes that were starting. His lashes were growing longer and impossibly dark which only enhanced the richness of his eyes. The thinning of his cheeks as he shifted from child to preteen, began to reveal the square jaw he had gotten from his father. Julia cleared her throat at the quic