Blurb
What would you do if you discovered another world inhabited by mythical beings?
Thomas McCartney is a soldier. When war strikes, he leaves London to fulfil his military duties. However, his mission cannot be accomplished after he finds himself in a different world.
Thomas stands face to face with dinosaurs, mythical creatures, and other humanoid races. Plus, an ancient prophecy that puts his life at risk. Thomas desperately tries to find his way back home, but he can’t succeed unless he learns how to survive and escape those who want to stop him.
Can he make it back home? Can he accept the destiny foreshadowed for him in the prophecy?
If you wish travelling between the worlds was possible, you will love this book. It’s for those who enjoy epic fantasy full of action, adventure, mystery and internal struggle. Beyond a tale about discovering different world, it’s a story of a man becoming a hero.
To explore this marvelous world, grab your copy now! This first book of ‘Heroes Of the Shadow’ series is your key to a universe you won’t be able to resist.
Excerpt
INDEABINITO WAS A VERY OLD WORLD. It has existed for millions of years. Over the first centuries, new races were born. After all, the kingdom was inhabited by twelve different races, one being the human race. The other eleven races were characterized by abilities which humans were unable to possess. Still, the position of people in this world was extremely privileged. They have been treated as a race that everyone else should watch out for. A race that others have to look after, with no one allowed to hurt them.
At the head of the kingdom were always human queens and kings. They held meetings in which all races took part. The king and queen were always ready to hear the voices of other races, but ultimately it was up to them to make decisions.
There came a moment in the history of this world when the last ruling couple made a mistake. Worrying about the future of their children, putting their good above the good of the kingdom, they mislaid their trust and irreversibly changed the course of Indeabinito history. With their actions, they introduced into this world something that had never been there before. Magic. A force that allowed humans to measure themselves with the abilities of other races.
Of course, at first no one dared to oppose humans. Everyone knew that their firstborn son embraced to seek the power that did not come from this world, but they remained silent. The second son of the royal couple grew into a wonderful man. Nobody doubted that he would be a worthy successor to his parents. Therefore, after the unexpected death of the king and queen, when their ship sunk because of a storm, all races were glad to welcome the nineteen-year-old king. The second son. Nobody knew what was happening to the eldest son of the royal couple. They were worried about his disappearance, but nobody was eager to find him. The whole kingdom celebrated the coronation.
He was not given long domination though. A few weeks after taking the throne, the second son was murdered by his older brother. Their youngest brother, who was then eleven years old and never had the ambition to become a king, ran to the council and told them what happened.
At this point, for the first time in the history, the council took the decision that the person who committed such a crime should be taken down and killed. However, the first-born son of the royal couple was not idle. He had already built an army faithful to him and began training those who were on his service. The multitude of his supporters grew faster than might have been expected. Everyone heard of him, but no one could find him.
Meanwhile, his supporters became more numerous, stronger, and braver. At first, they didn't seem threatening. It soon became apparent that their priority was to find the youngest brother. They spared no effort to do so. They seemed to be developing ideas about catching and interrogating anyone who can help them achieve their goal. Here Kinshipae came to the rescue. With most people worried about their fate in Indeabinito, Kinshipae moved the youngest of the brothers to another world. In this way, he also opened the door that no one had even suspected existed.
"If I remember correctly, then, according to the time in your world, point to about thirty-nine thousand years ago," Victor explained.
For many years, other races looked after people in their new world, but they didn't interfere in their lives. Kinshipae made people forget who they were and the world they came from. When they were to rearrange everything themselves, it turned out that they were weak. Willing to fight. Brutal. Their faith was fragile. They were easy and eager to indulge in what was doomed. After three hundred years, Kinshipae was asked to close the passage.
It was too late. There was another world. The older brother was crazed by the idea. One of the abilities available, thanks to magic, was to prolong life. He took the lives of others and used them to extend his own. He devoted these gained years to searching for passage. He thought everything was a conspiracy. He believed that some races contained information on how to pass the transition again. His army began hunting range. Those who did not help were interrogated and tortured. He said that he was no longer human. He got a mark. A designation that made him stand out, among others. He called himself and those who received similar marks the thirteenth race. Malefice, which literally means a man with a sign.
Malefices knew no mercy. They killed everything and everyone who got in their way. They were still growing in strength. Finally, a council of eleven gathered, which was held without people for the first time. The human race was denounced as traitors. It was recognized that only their complete liquidation could lead to the renewal of the kingdom.
It was not known back then, however, that for shedding the blood of his brother, the first Malefice really lost something. Something very important. An element of his humanity.
‘Don't take life. Do not judge. Believe.’ These three sentences were once on the wall in the Great Chamber where council meetings took place. On the day the verdict was handed down, they were all crossed out. It soon turned out that everyone who took the life of a marked person, marked himself. He brought on a curse that was even greater than the one that Malefice had. Whole races irrevocably lost their abilities. One after another.
Many people were also killed during this time. Innocent people who had nothing to do with Malefice's actions. They died only because they were humans.
By escaping, people dispersed, establishing settlements in different parts of the world. Malefice sank into the ground during the hunt against man. Other races, not having a guilty one to blame, blamed each other for loss of abilities. All alliances collapsed. The kingdom became divided and weak.
About The Author
Sandra S. Frankowska is the author of international epic fantasy series Heroes Of the Shadow.
When she is not writing, Sandra is either working at ed-tech start-up, reading, painting or rock climbing.
The Heroes Of the Shadow books are full of mythical creatures, superheroes, mystery and travelling between different worlds. Oh, and some dinosaurs can be found there too!
Some of Frankowska's favorite reads include The Lord Of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Journey to the Center of the Earth by J. Verne, The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, Dark Tower by S. King, Jurassic Park by M. Crichton, and The Hunger Games by S. Collins.
She lives in London with her husband and their two cats.