Book 1: Tales of a Dester Chapter 1

Tales of Dester
Chapter 1: A Desert Boy

Beat stared at the one cloud that managed to reach the desert sky above him. He could feel his pursuer growing near. He sucked in a deep breath and broke into a mad dash trying to reach the cover of the village he grew up in. He had get to the town square, that's where he'd find the chief.
He ducked as a knife buried itself into the desert sand. He continued running, not risking to look back to see how close his assailant was. The young Dester had been trained rigorously by his adopted father, Romero. He knew his teacher needed to know what was happening, but he doubted he'd make it to the village safely. As the hidden village entered his sights, Beat felt his resolve strengthen. He used all his energy trying to increase his speed, what he wouldn't give for an Agility Fairy right now. He could see someone was waiting at the main entry point to the village, he had to get there and tell them!
"That's enough Grimsley!" shouted his pursuer.
Beat stopped and felt his feet slide in the restless sands. "I have to tell them. You know how I am." stated Beat boldly.
"You can't tell them, or else I'd really have to hurt you." growled his pursuer coming closer.
Beat knew the girl that had been chasing him. Her name was Alexandria, she was from the same village. He also knew how to make her angry. "But wouldn't Timber be so happy to hear what his favorite pupil is doing out in the desert?" he asked a smile growing.
Alexandria pulled another knife from her belt and walked up to Beat, and placed the knife's edge against his throat. "Do it, and I'll cut your throat!" she hissed.
"There's nothing wrong with creating your own style of fighting." shrugged Beat.
Alexandria put her knife away and scowled. "It's not finished yet."
"Well you've only been practicing. You haven't tried it on a moving target." Beat said with a smile.
"Then I'll use you. Tomorrow after our lessons I'll meet you at the looking post." she said with hint of anger in her voice.
"Don't forget the knife you threw at me!" called Beat as he ducked under a flying blade.
"Give that back to me tomorrow, too." she waved over her shoulder.
Beat shook his head. "Alex never knows when to quit." he laughed. He retrieved the knife and went towards his home.
Along the way he heard the notes of a violin being played in town square. He knew he'd find Romero there, so he followed the merry sounds. As he reached the home of their chief, Timber Riche, he heard the song come to an end.
"Thank you all for coming." boomed a loud deep voice.
Beat smiled as he saw what was going on.
He spotted the old chief giving the tattoos that symbol maturity to his classmate Mason. Mason let no sound escape his lips as the chief pressed the burning coals to his right arm.
Beat still wasn't sure why they did this as the right of passage. You go through unrelenting training, and when you prove yourself ready, you face one final test. That test is always kept secret, so Beat had no clue what his friend had to do for the test. But once the challenge is cleared, the tattoo will be given. And the way it's come about being given is  painful. A sack of burning coals is placed on the arm, and the parts of the arm that don't burn are then coated in the ink that will stain the arm for the rest of the recipients life. Somehow, the burns always leave patterns showing what that person is going to master.
Beat watched in awe as they pulled the coals away and Mason showed no pain. Then Timber pulled a bottle of ink and a feather from his bag. He dipped the feather's tip into the ink and then traced the pattern that will forever mark Mason as a mature Shido. The symbol was soon made clear as to what Mason had ahead of him. He had a net made of what appeared to be lightning coating his arm. When the chief nodded Mason kneeled before him and awaited his chiefs verdict.
"Mason, you are to be a great man. You have withstood our people's greatest test, and showed no pain or fear throughout the entire procession. You came here as a child, now rise as an adult." he boomed.
Mason rose and smiled. "Thank you Chief."
As Mason stepped off the ceremonial stage Beat walked up to his friend. "Good job. How much do you need to scream right now?" he teased.
"A lot. Now let's get going, I'm starving." groaned the newly appointed adult.
"I'd suggest going to Emilia first. You need to get the burns treated first so your tattoo doesn't get altered by the healing skin." reminded Beat.
"Right, off to Emilia." nodded Mason. "Why do you have one of Alexandria's knives?"
"Oh you noticed that? I had to get away from her a while ago. That's the reason I was late to the ceremony. I have to return it tomorrow." explained Beat.
"Why was she chasing you?" grumbled Mason rubbing the burn.
"I have to keep my mouth shut or I get my throat slit." yawned Beat.
"Typical." smiled Mason. "Let's hurry up."
"Yeah, let's go." nodded Beat.

When they found Emilia they found her in an unpleasant mood.
 "Doing the ceremony unannounced, ugh. The least that useless brother of mine could of done was tell me to prepare some remedies to ease the pain and all the other things needed. I swear my brother does these things on purpose." growled Emilia as she ran through her supply of medicines. "Oh how I wish I had a healing fairy." she sighed.
"Are you sure you should talk about the chief that way?" mumbled Mason.
"Are you sure you want to argue with the person trying to treat those burns?" yawned Beat from his seat on one of her counters.
"How many times have I told you not to sit on the counter?!?" snapped Emilia throwing a roll of bandages at him.
Beat simply shrugged and hopped off the counter. "I'm gonna go talk with Romero, come find me when you're all fixed up."
"Tell him not to come here. He's as guilty as Timber." called Emilia as Beat walked out the door.
Beat waved to show he understood and started towards his home. He had thoughts of his own ceremony, growing closer. How many more days till he received his tattoos? Only two weeks kept him from earning his place as one who endured all of the Shido's training. He smiled as he continued towards his home. He heard the sounds of a violin playing again and figured it was Romero's way of calling him. He and his father always got each other's attention by playing a song on the violin. He followed the sounds to the watch tower, a place he often met Romero when he wanted to talk about his plans. Beat figured Romero was planning on taking another trip.
When he reached the top of the tower he found his father running his fingers through his black hair.
"What's up Romero?" Beat asked as he stepped off the ladder.
"I'm thinking of going on another little trip to the capitol. Wanna come?" yawned Romero placing his hands behind his head.
"I've got my graduation ceremony in two weeks. I can't go on any wild goose chase." sighed Beat shaking his head.
"Oh yeah." mumbled Romero starting to pluck a string on his violin.
Beat knew what had happened. He gritted his teeth and began to descend the ladder to the ground.
"Beat, c'mon son! I forgot!" groaned Romero getting up to follow his son.
"Yeah, just like always!" snapped Beat. "Just like you and the chief forgot to give Emilia the heads up on the ceremony. She doesn't want you near her clinic." Beat then turned and ran away from the tower, leaving a shamefaced Romero standing alone.

"I don't believe it." growled Beat as he ducked under a fist flying at full speed.
"Kid you should know by now." spat the black-skinned man throwing punches at Beat. "I've known him since he was born, he's always been this way."
"But Procter..." started Beat.
"No buts!" snapped Procter planting his fist in Beat's stomach.
Beat hunched over and coughed as his instructor returned to the glowing green ball of light he usually was.
"Time to wash up dear." instructed Emilia carrying a pot to the table set for three. "Procter, care to join us?" she offered.
"No thank you. I've got to check on that useless man you married." muttered Procter flying off.
Beat ate in silence along with the closest person he had to a mother.
"Honey, how are you feeling? You're usually hard to keep quiet." Emilia asked concernedly.
"I'm not really hungry." muttered Beat getting up from the table. "I'm headed for bed."
Emilia watched him as he walked into his bedroom. "Damn you Romero." she sighed.

Prologue

As the sun set over the desert sands, a single man marched through the endless sands. Martin was the man's name, he was a Kindley. Martin was glad he had finished his task, after receiving word that his wife was close to giving birth to their child he quickly finished his task.
He was overjoyed to become a father, but a warning from his mother gave him a dark feeling of fear. She had told Martin that he and his wife were going to be killed by an evil man. Although he doubted his mother's words, Martin had to admit that she was always right when it came to these things.
Martin shook these thoughts away as he finally reached the village his wife called home. Although Martin had no problem with the Desters, most of Jinlax thought of them as thieves and murderers. But Martin dealt with those kinds of people often, for he was a knight of King Cedric's order, and the Desters were hardly the cause of any trouble. Martin shared a belief with King Cedric, a belief that all the races should be able to get along. He hated how everyone feared the race his wife belonged to.
As he entered his home he found  his wife, Samantha, sitting in her favorite chair across from the door.
"Welcome home, Sir Grimsley." greeted Samantha with a loving smile.
"It's good to be home, my sweet." replied Martin with a sigh of relief.
"Ah, it about time you came back!" snapped the fairy that darted into the room.
"Hello there Vera, glad to see you're as lively as ever." greeted Martin bitterly.
"Vera, I thought I told you to stop being rude to my husband," sighed Samantha trying to get up.
"Relax dear, Vera has a right to be mad, I took too long." sighed Martin.
"Now hold on!" growled Martin's fairy Shot. "We hurried as quickly as we could!" 
"Of course you'd stand up for him Shi..."
"Vera!" snapped Samantha. "Go tell the doctor Martin's arrived."
"Sure thing Sammy." nodded Vera, calling Samantha by the nickname she gave her. Vera then flew out the still open door Martin had entered.
"Maybe I'll go find some other combat fairies to fight with." laughed Shot giving Martin a cocky smile. Then he exited leaving Martin with his wife.
"I'm sorry for Vera, she's just excited over our child." sighed Samantha.
"Darling you shouldn't worry." assured Martin closing the door. He walked over to Samantha and sat down next to her. "Our child will be amazing. She'll be as beautiful as you are."
"Martin, he'll be as brave as his father, and as handsome." laughed Samantha. "Oh, I felt him kick."
"Let me feel!" laughed Martin pressing an ear to her stomach. He felt a small push where his chin was, and smiled. "She has the same knack for kicking people in the face." he laughed.
"Darling, I'm sure our child is a boy. And I assure you he'll be informed of all the times you've called him a girl." teased Samantha.
"Regardless of what gender our child is, I will always fight to protect the two of you." smiled Martin kissing his wife.
"Ooh Martin." laughed Samantha. She then felt a sharp pain. "Oh... Martin!" she gasped. "The baby, it's coming!"
"Dear Gods!" gasped Martin. He ran to the door and called over their neighbors daughter. "Danielle, please tell your mother to come help us over here, the baby's coming." he requested calmly but quickly.
"Okay Mister Grimsley!" nodded the young girl running inside her house.
Martin then returned to his wife and moved her to a more comfortable spot. "Just hold on darling, Sophia and the doctor are on their way." assured Martin nervously.
"Martin, move aside!" urged Sophia rushing through the door.
"Thank you Sophia," moaned Samantha.
"Martin, go get some pillows, we need her hips raised." instructed Sophia.
The doctor arrived as Martin brought the pillows for his wife.
"Ah, Mrs. Avery, good to see you helping. Please get some clean sheets so we can spread them." requested the doctor.
"I'll do it." volunteered Martin handing his neighbor the pillows.

After about an hour of running back and forth doing tasks to make the delivery safe, Martin held his newborn child. It was boy, who had the sane eyes as his mother. His wife was asleep, exhausted after the birth. Martin rocked his son in his arms, proud to be a father.
"It's good to see my son managed to deliver my grandson safely." laughed a familiar voice.
"Mother!" smiled Martin. "I'm glad you could make it."
"I'm never to busy when it comes to my only son." replied the old woman. "Let me hold him for a second." she demanded.
Martin reluctantly handed over his son. "We haven't thought if a name for him yet." he admitted.
"That's no surprise, you never were good at coming up with things. I can see a bright future for him." she stated. "He'll inherit my gifts."
"Mother, about his future..."
"I'm sorry my son, but no matter what you try, you will not be able to be a part of his future." sighed his mother.
"But..."
"No buts. Even the god of wisdom couldn't find a way." she sighed again. "But I can tell you this, he'll be quite the fighter. If he fought you, you'd probably lose. And he'll also be quite a heartbreaker, he's going to get your good looks and Samantha's kind heart."
Martin tried to be happy hearing about his son's future. But he couldn't find the heart to enjoy what little time he had left with his son.
"He won't be easily beaten. You can't beat a Grimsley." laughed his mother as she walked off.

When Samantha woke up Martin had sat down  with the baby cradled in his arms and fallen asleep. She was happy to see the two together. Martin always looked more peaceful when he was asleep, like all the problems he kept secret were washed away. She was unaware of the future held in store for her and her child. She noticed Vera and Shot were nestled under the pages of a small paperback book sound asleep. They were always so cute when they slept. The light that reflects their feelings are always dimmer so you can make out the fairy's figure.
Martin began to stir and saw that his wife was now awake. "Hey honey, sorry. I fell asleep." he yawned.
"Let me see our baby." she requested.
Martin handed her their son and stretched to wake up. "I've thought of a name for him." he said as he reached for the ceiling.
"What is that?" she asked, curiosity piqued.
"Can't Be Beat Grimsley." he announced.
Samantha laughed thinking it was a joke. But when she saw Martin was serious she sighed. "Martin, that's ridiculous. Maybe if we shorten it. How about Beat Grimsley?" she suggested.
"I like the sound of that." replied Martin with a smile. "Beat Grimsley."
As if he already knew his name the baby started to wiggle when they said his name. His eyes opened slightly and his mother caught a glimpse if their color.
"Martin look, he's opened his eyes!" exclaimed Samantha,
"He's got your eyes." laughed Martin looking at his son.
"And your ears." she replied tickling the pointed tips of their child's ear.
Beat started to giggle slightly as his mother played with his ears.  The house was lively that night, with sounds of laughter from both the child, and his parents being heard by the houses close by.

It lasted a week. The happiness only lasted a week before it happened. A group of men wandered into the village at night. The leader gave the order, "Kill any male newborn, and any that try to stop you."
Martin heard the screams of his neighbors as their homes were broken into. He quickly grabbed his sword that rested next to the fireplace and rushed outside to the aide of the villagers.
Samantha, fearing for their child's safety, ran out into the desert. Martin managed to take down a good chunk of the attackers, but he was overwhelmed by the ferocity of their assault. The leader knew then, that he had found the right house. When his men reported finding nothing inside he quickly made them regret bringing him disappointing news. He took the sword from his closest subordinate and slit the throats of several men with one swipe. He ordered them to find the woman and kill her.

Samantha didn't escape her pursuers unharmed. When they caught sight of her they began to shoot her unprotected back with arrows. She managed to stumble into a village where one man had been walking through the streets. She collapsed into his arms, cradling her son. She pleaded with the man to protect her son. He looked toward the direction she cane from and saw the men that were still chasing her. He assured her he'd keep her son safe. He called over people who heard the commotion to take her to the chief's home while he and a few other men went to stop the attackers. Samantha fell unconscious shortly after being brought to the chief. When the men returned it was a different man who requested to raise the child. He had recognized Samantha, for he was an old friend of Martin. He was glad Samantha remembered him when she woke up. She told him everything she wanted him to tell Beat when he was old enough to handle it all. When the man agreed, what little of Samantha's life was left went on to the heavens to join her husband.

Introduction

Dear Reader: 

You are about to enter a world far from our own. A land of magic and wonder. When you join people of Jinlax you will meet the many races inhabiting this country. From the mysterious Shido that control shadows, to the water breathing Aquari. The fast and agile TerraSliders, to the strong and lively Vakans. Enjoy the laughter of the eternal youth of tue Forestids, or stay with the calm humans. Witness the Desters, forever being accused of crime, and watch the Kindleys be praised for being fair and just.
Jinlax has many enjoyable landmarks, such as the mountains of Terranos, where the Vakans and TerraSliders dispute over control of the mountains. Visit the lush and vibrant forest where the Forestids' playful sounds can be heard from afar. Enjoy the calm and serene beauty of the many lakes and calm rivers where Aquari can always be found. Explore the vast deserts that are home to the Desters. Or perhaps stumble across a Shido village hidden from the eyes of any threat. Maybe enjoy a peaceful day of shopping in the lively towns surrounding the castle, where you can see people of all races, and perhaps catch a glimpse of the Kindley princess, Princess Lucia.
Often found throughout Jinlax you can find a variety of fairies waiting to find a person to name and cooperate with. With types of fairies such as fire, snow, and water, you can expect to see elements being toyed with all the time.
So dear reader, I do pray you'll enjoy your time spent here. May all the Gods be kind to you as you join our world of mystic and marvel.

Sincerely,
Richard Hudson