Midrealm Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Author's Note

  Realm Keepers: Episode One

  A Normal Day

  The Pillars

  The Battle

  Making Time

  The Wall

  Realm Keepers: Episode Two

  Waking Up

  Runehold

  Midrealm

  Facing Reality

  The Demon

  Reinforcements

  Realm Keepers: Episode Three

  Instruction

  The Boy

  Outskirts

  The Rider

  The Hawk

  Realm Keepers: Episode Four

  The Catacomb

  School

  Abandoned

  Decisions

  The Tomb of Malus

  Realm Keepers: Episode Five

  Mind Tricks

  Home Life

  The Library

  Linsfell

  The Temple of Garidon

  Realm Keepers: Episode Six

  Prophecy

  Another Life

  Faya

  Shadowed Blade

  Sacrifice

  Realm Keepers: Book One Finale

  Amber

  Best Laid Plans

  Demands

  Without and Within

  Enemy at the Gate

  Desperate Measures

  Panic

  Ultimatum

  Flight

  Friends and Enemies

  Morrowdust

  Mages

  Assassin

  Elladorn

  A Journey Begins

  Hear Greystone's Story

  Get Book Two

  Realm Keepers Online

  About the Authors

  MIDREALM

  BOOK ONE OF REALM KEEPERS

  Garrett Robinson & Z.C. Bolger

  Copyright © 2013 by Garrett Robinson & Z.C. Bolger. All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events or locales is purely coincidental.

  Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.

  The authors greatly appreciate you taking the time to read our work. Please leave a review wherever you bought the book, and tell your friends about Realm Keepers to help us spread the word.

  Thank you for supporting our work.

  Visit: garrettbrobinson.com

  zcbolger.com

  Published by Living Art Books

  and Story Road Publishing

  This book is dedicated to our families

  Who make us whole and make our dreams possible

  And to our best friends

  Our readers

  Author’s Note

  by Garrett Robinson

  Hey, Realm Keepers. This is Garrett.

  Midrealm feels like it’s been a long time coming, and yet I only came up with the first germ of an idea for it a few months ago. Compared to the time other fantasy works have taken to create, this book has come together like lightning.

  The Realm Keepers series came to me, as most of my story ideas do, all at once in the blinding flash of an idea.

  At the time, I was still working a full-time job. Z.C. had been writing for years, and I had only been following his lead for a few months. We had vaguely discussed the idea of co-authoring a book, but nothing tangible had ever come from it.

  I’d just helped Z.C. with the editing of his first solo novel, the excellent Danny Calloway and the Puzzle House. After it hit the digital bookshelves, I’d attended a few of Z.C.’s live school events, where he delivered seminars and had book signings with kids in attendance.

  I’m not going to lie: it made me pretty jealous. I had published a few books already, but they were all very adult. And seeing the way these kids were reacting to Z.C.’s book made me wish that I could have the same effect.

  I believe that reading is important at all stages of a life, but it is perhaps nowhere more important than in the years that bridge the gap from childhood to becoming an adult. Those were my most voracious reading years. They were the years I devoured more books than I ever had before or since.

  As I was pondering this sudden urge to create something for a younger audience, I remembered my favorite book series when I was a teenager. It was a science fiction series called Animorphs.

  Like Realm Keepers, Animorphs starred six young kids (even if one of them was an alien). Like Sarah and her friends, the Animorphs were fighting to save Earth from an invasion of beings that no one else knew existed. And like the Realm Keepers, the Animorphs couldn’t tell anyone about the secret lives they lived as they battled for their own survival as well as their friends and families.

  As I remembered all of these amazing things about Animorphs, the flash of an idea came. I wanted to write a story starring high schoolers who became something more. I wanted them to travel to another world whenever they slept, a concept I’d seen in excellent books such as Slaves of Sleep, but which I’d never seen in a Young Adult setting before.

  I broached the subject with Z.C. and, to my delight he seemed to love it as much as I did. From there we worked on the characters, the plotline, the building of the world. The name “Midrealm” came in our very first story meeting (after Z.C. told me in no uncertain terms that my first idea for the world’s name, “Buffer,” was an absolutely terrible one. He was right.).

  But something happened while we developed this book out. I fell completely, madly, totally in love.

  These characters are real to me in a way I’ve never felt about my characters before. This world—the world of Midrealm—matters to me like no other world I’ve created. As you walk through its cities and its countryside, know that I’m right there beside you. I want to protect it from Chaos just as desperately as you do. I want the Realm Keepers to come through this war unscathed, just as you do—but also, I can’t make any promises in that regard.

  It’s hard for me to say why this book matters so much to me. So all I can do is invite you to share it.

  Midrealm is the finest thing I’ve been a part of to date. I’ve only ever felt this level of devotion to one other project—and that book is still a long way off. Sorry, but you’ll just have to wait.

  But in the meantime, you’ve got this book in your hands. You’ve got six characters that I’ve grown to think of as my own friends. And you’ve got an amazing adventure in a world that I wish—oh, how badly do I wish—I could live in.

  It is the best thing I can possibly give you right now.

  I have loved every second of its creation, and I cannot wait for you to love every second of the experience.

  This is the first book of the Realm Keepers series. The adventure is only going to get better. Not only their adventure—our adventure, and yours.

  See you next time.

  Garrett Robinson

  Author’s Note

  by Z. C. Bolger

  Hey, Realm Keepers. This is Z. C. Um....Ditto.

  See you next time.

  Z. C. Bolger

  SARAH

  MY NAME IS SARAH PRESTON, and I’m living a double life.

  It wasn’t always that way. I didn’t use to spend half my days here and half my days in Midrealm. If you had told me about it, I would have thought it was some ridiculous, geeky thing. The kind of thing my cousin Calvin is always into. I would never have believed it was real. It, or Chaos.

  But I would have been wrong.

  I found out just how wrong on a normal day — or rather, a day that used to be normal before my life changed forever. Before I became something more than just another high school student. I went to Roosevelt Hi
gh, and on that day, everything seemed perfect.

  I’d always done well in school, but I worked hard for it. I was the head of the debate team and assistant captain of the girl’s volleyball team. My name had been on the honor roll so often, they might as well have written it in permanent marker.

  I didn’t have much free time. I spent most of my nights tutoring other kids, kids who wanted to land a good college and needed extra help to get there.

  The only thing different about that day was that the student election were going to be announced. I was running for student body president, and I felt like I’d swallowed a basket of snakes.

  I think back to that time often. Back when the biggest problem I had was whether or not I’d win a student election. It seems so unimportant now.

  My mom dropped me off on the side of the high school like she did every day.

  “Kiss good-bye,” she said. “For luck.”

  I rolled my eyes, but I leaned over and gave her a kiss. They could be embarrassing, but I knew I had good parents. Even before my life was in constant danger, I knew how lucky I was. Even back then, I was grateful.

  “Thanks mom,” I said. “See you tonight.”

  “Have a good day,” she called as I got out. “And good luck!”

  I walked around the building toward the huge front doors. There weren’t many students around. I got to school earlier than most people. Dad’s always called me his little over-achiever.

  I smelled something. A strong, acrid something. Someone was smoking, and I thought I knew who. I spotted them and sighed.

  Raven was sitting in a tree with three of her friends. No, Raven wasn’t her real name. It was Ester. We used to hang out a lot. Once upon a time, I would have said she was my best friend. Then she’d started hanging out with these other kids in the school. Goth kids. Soon Ester went totally goth herself. She started making everyone call her Raven, and we sort of drifted apart after that.

  It made me sad when I thought about it, so I tried not to. Raven was a really good person, and really smart. We just didn’t have much in common any more.

  I walked up to the tree. Raven looked down as I approached, her eyes covered with mascara and her hairstyle jutting out like a pixie’s. It was black with pink streaks, but she changed it often. She raised one eyebrow in greeting.

  “Guys, you might not want to do that on the front lawn,” I said. Raven was eighteen, so it wasn’t illegal, but smoking was against the school rules. I knew that her friends weren’t eighteen, but didn’t say anything about that.

  “Are you gonna tattle on us?” said one of her friends, sneering the words in a singsong voice. I thought she called herself Ember.

  That was one of the reasons Raven and I had drifted apart. Most of her new friends were really rude, and seemingly for no reason.

  “No,” I said, trying to keep my voice pleasant. “But the faculty will be showing up soon. I don’t want you guys getting in trouble.”

  “Life is trouble, princess,” said Raven’s other friend — Ivory, maybe? They changed their names almost as often as their hair.

  Raven finally butted in. “Knock it off, guys,” she said. She frowned at them briefly before looking at me. “Thanks for the heads-up,” she said. “We’ll clear out in a few.”

  “Cool,” I said. “Good to see you, Est — Raven. Sorry.”

  “No prob,” she said, and she actually smiled. In that smile I saw the Raven that I still missed.

  I shook it off and went on my way, entering the school and winding through the halls to my locker. I was halfway through the combo when I heard something behind me.

  I turned. A younger girl stood there. She had dark brown hair that covered one of her eyes. She was kind of looking at me, and kind of not. Her eyes would meet mine for a moment before darting back to the floor. I smiled, trying to encourage her.

  “I’m sorry, did you say something?” I asked.

  “Good luck in the election,” said the girl. I had to lean in to hear her. “I voted for you.” She turned and headed off before I could answer. I didn’t even know her name.

  That was nice, I thought. Weird, but nice.

  Then the girl vanished behind a boy who stepped out into the middle of the hallway. “Hey, Sarah,” he said, and before I knew it I was smiling.

  Kurt Masterson was, without question, the cutest boy in Roosevelt. He had everything going for him: he was captain of the football team, he had decent grades (though not as good as mine), and he was super popular in a way that I wasn’t. I was friendly with almost everyone in school. But people wanted to hang out with Kurt. I wanted to hang out with Kurt.

  Recently, I thought the feeling might be mutual. He’d started sitting with me at lunch. When he did, I could barely hold a conversation or figure out how to eat. On breaks and after school, he’d started hanging around and chatting with me.

  It’s possible I may have had a tiny crush on Kurt.

  “Hi,” I said. I struggled to think of something else to say, something smart, something funny. I couldn’t.

  “Good luck in the election today,” he said, flashing his million-dollar smile. “Although, everyone knows you’re going to win, so I guess you don’t really need any luck.”

  “I guess we’ll see,” I said, immediately thinking that was a stupid thing to say.

  “Right. Well, see ya.” And then he was gone, walking away toward his first class.

  My mind was a buzz for the next half hour. I barely arrived on time to calculus. When I did, I plopped down in the front of the room. Some kids made fun of me for always sitting in the front row, but I’ve never been ashamed that I really like learning. That’s not how a lot of people feel about school, but I love it. And besides, I had to keep my grades up if I wanted to get into Stanford, my dream college.

  Half an hour into the class, there was a crash as the door flew open. My head jerked toward the sudden noise.

  In strolled Blade. Like Raven, that was a nickname. His real name was Winston, but I’d heard dark stories about kids who had used it to his face. Blade was one of those kids who was always getting into trouble and didn’t seem to care. He was in detention more often than not, and if I saw him in the hallways it was a pretty good bet he was on his way to or from the principal’s office.

  I didn’t know the details of Blade’s home situation, only rumors. But he didn’t seem angry all the time like some people with bad families. Instead he acted like the whole world was a big joke, and he was the only one who got it.

  He was pretty new at our school. Apparently he and his family moved around a lot. Most of the time I just felt sorry for him. It had to be hard to make friends if you were at a new school every few months.

  Our teacher, Mister Roberts, looked up from his papers and let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Honestly, Mister Frederickson, I don’t know why you even show up after missing half the class. Care to tell us what was so important that it made you late class — again?”

  Blade grinned a crooked grin. “Explosive diarrhea.”

  Most of the class exploded in laughter.

  “It was bad,” Blade continued, enjoying the reaction. “Too much hot sauce. That’s the last time I steal your lunch, Mister Roberts.”

  Mister Roberts wore an expression of tired frustration. The teachers rarely bothered getting angry at Blade any more. They’d given up. “Well, you can catch up on the lesson in detention.”

  “As long as I have access to a toilet,” said Blade, still lounging in the doorway. “I may get the squirts again.” There was another burst of laughter from the class.

  Mister Roberts’ eyes narrowed, his temper finally rising. “Take your seat, Winston.”

  The smile vanished from Blade’s face. I found myself feeling nervous. The class fell silent behind me.

  “My name is Blade,” he said. “Get it right, moron.”

  Mister Roberts stood. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me,” said Blade.

 
“Sit down, Mister Frederickson,” grated Mister Roberts. “And you’re in detention for a week.”

  Blade held his eyes for a few moments, but at last he pushed away from the door and found his seat. The tension in the room eased. I released a little whoosh of breath I didn’t know I was holding.

  I glanced at Blade. He stared at the ground, but I had a feeling he saw nothing at all. He started to look up, and I quickly looked away.

  The rest of period passed quickly. The second blew by in a rush. I thought the day would drag on as I waited for the election results, but it was a blur. Third period looked to be passing as quickly as the first two, but then the loudspeaker clicked on.

  “Sarah Preston,” came Principal Jones’ familiar voice, “please report to my office.”

  The room went dead silent. Slowly, all eyes in the classroom turned to me.

  Heat rose on my neck and ears. What did he want? Had I done something wrong? What could it be? A million possibilities flew through my head, but none of them made sense.

  Everyone in the room was silent as I left, even the teacher. My lonely footsteps echoed in the hallways as I headed toward the big black door of Principal Jones’ office.

  The only thing I could come up with was the election results. They weren’t supposed to announce them until the end of the day. If I’d won, he’d just wait for me to hear the announcement. I must have lost, and he was calling me into his office to break the news. That had to be it. My heart dropped into the bottom of my stomach as I knocked on his door.

  “Come in,” he said.

  I entered. He waved me to a chair without saying a word. His face was serious, and I knew I was right.

  “Sarah,” said Principal Jones, “one of the students you tutor is Miles Grave, correct?”

  The question was so unexpected that I forgot my dread. Miles was a track star and one of the kids I tutored. He didn’t have a great study record, but he was really trying.