Deep within the abandoned city, the Dark Lord's power grows, feeding off the greed and inhumanity of the lesser forms of men. Sensing that the time is near when a new heir will be named "First of The Line", he subtly begins to sow the seeds of destruction, in an attempt to reclaim the destiny which had been snatched from his grasp.

Will the new heir of the Druid Dream magic be able to master its power in time to stop him? Or will he take possession of her soul, and with it, all of the free lands.

The initial book of the Druid Dreams saga, First of The Line, takes us back to the beginning in a heart pounding tale of adventure, suspense, and drama which is sure to leave you spellbound!

First of The Line

Book One of the Druid Dreams SagaBy Michael Paul Metzger

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Michael Paul Metzger
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4634-3215-7

Contents

Chapter 1 A Lesson Learned.....................................1Chapter 2 Training Days........................................9Chapter 3 Graduation...........................................17Chapter 4 Empty Praise.........................................25Chapter 5 Cat and Mouse........................................33Chapter 6 Nature's Ballet......................................41Chapter 7 At Whit's End........................................49Chapter 8 A Birthday Surprise..................................63Chapter 9 Secrets Revealed.....................................71Chapter 10 Shytown.............................................81Chapter 11 An Impromptu Meal...................................93Chapter 12 Instructions for Lines..............................101Chapter 13 An Invitation.......................................111Chapter 14 Rude awakening......................................121Chapter 15 A Calling...........................................131Chapter 16 An Apprentice.......................................141Chapter 17 On the Hunt.........................................147Chapter 18 Bramble's Briar's and Thicket's.....................153Chapter 19 A Friend in Need....................................159Chapter 20 Company.............................................167Chapter 21 Darkness lights the way.............................175Chapter 22 A Path to Safety....................................183Chapter 23 A Companion for Dinner..............................195Chapter 24 Lost and Found......................................203Chapter 25 The Bells Toll......................................211Chapter 26 The Chennault.......................................219Chapter 27 A Beautiful Discovery...............................229Chapter 28 A Few Choice Words..................................237Chapter 29 A Doorway to Adventure..............................247Chapter 30 A History Lesson....................................255Chapter 31 Rules of Engagement.................................267Chapter 32 Rattled and Caged...................................277Chapter 33 Small Triumph's.....................................287Chapter 34 A New Set of Classmates.............................293Chapter 35 Brave of Heart......................................301Glossary of Terms, People, and Places..........................307

Chapter One

A Lesson Learned

When she awoke, the gentle breeze of autumn filled Sannil's senses as she slid from beneath the covers with a shrug. She didn't mind the cold; it had always helped to wake her in those last few moments before daybreak, when every moment alone was a precious gift.

Dashing from her soft cushioned mattress to the window overlooking the forest, the princess made a stunning silhouette. With flowing blonde hair and sparkling bluish-green eyes that could melt an ice flow, it was little wonder that the kingdom adored her so.

"What will it be today?" she asked the wind with anticipation, eager to witness the wide array of woodland creatures that had gathered just out of sight. But after straining against the predawn darkness for what seemed like an eternity without witnessing the shadow of a single movement, the princess was forced to admit defeat. She would have to wait.

Relaxing her gaze, Sannil's slender frame eased back inside the chamber and impatiently waited for daylight's first embers to arrive, nearly exposing the milky-white skin beneath her loose-hanging sleeping robes as a sudden gust of wind buffeted her eyes. Sannil knew there was little chance of the guards catching a glimpse of her supple form within her sanctuary. This place was hers and hers alone.

Drawing a deep breath to fill her lungs and clear her mind, the princess couldn't help but don a childish grin. It was still hard to believe that she had succeeded! Not even the king's chamber could equal the images that danced just outside her raised parapet. The green carpeted grasses and dense sprawling woodlands that greeted her smiling face each morning were visible from only two locations: the city's unmanned eastern walls, and her sanctuary within its tower. Princess Sannil loved this place.

It had taken nearly fourteen months to convince the king to allow her to take up residence within the massive spire.

The old tower stood at the far edge of the city. Though its unused gate had long since been closed, the sparsely populated buildings which surrounded it were still fairly well maintained and created an ideal place for those seeking a quiet, slow-paced existence, or just a place to hide. In this day and age very few travelers had need of the city's long-forgotten unused resource, and most of those were fully content to utilize one of the other gates to the north or south.

Prior to the princess taking up residence, the east tower's keep had essentially been an abandoned guard barracks, whose main purpose was to act as a command and control facility during times of war.

Long ago when the city was built, it had been divided into four main sections for defensive purposes, each fully capable of operating independent of the others. Essentially, the quadrants consisted of north, south, east and west. In peacetime only a small contingent of soldiers manned the remote battlements, and none lived outside the castle's barracks, save for a few officers and senior enlisted men.

LindenWood Castle sat upon a large plateau on the western side of the city where its massive grounds and raised architecture drew awe- inspired gasps from allies and enemies alike. Rising into the air at a height of no less than fifty feet, its pillars seemed to dwarf the ancient city below, with shining spires that served as beacons for wayward travelers to follow both day and night. When fully staffed the stronghold could quarter 50,000 men in comfort, though less than a tenth of that number resided within its polished halls right now.

Built with its back atop a jagged set of horseshoe-shaped cliffs, the elevated pedestal fell nearly a thousand feet before meeting the Misty Creek River far below. Together they formed an impenetrable natural barrier that no one had ever breached. In that area, the only safe way to avoid the hand of the river's deadly grip was via the broad wooden bridge to the south. That avenue would be dismantled long before an enemy force came near enough to cross.

"How can my soldiers be expected to perform their duties with you and your wares under foot?" the king had asked when she'd approached him.

While everyone knew that the possibility of war was highly unlikely, his statement was true nonetheless. So, instead of debating the validity of such overly dramatic logic, the princess answered her father with an equally undeniable set of facts.

"In the event that such a thing does occur," Sannil began boldly, "I would fully expect to be recalled to the safety of the castle immediately, in which case, our soldiers would be free to use my quarters however they saw fit, without fear of my reprisals or objections!"

Yet as sensible as the content of her well-thought responses might have sounded to anyone else listening, her father failed to acknowledge the validity of her summations in the least bit.

"Ours is a peaceful and prosperous age," she added in a final effort to sway him. "Without the slightest hint of war...