Clifton Chase Series, Book 1
Juvenile Fantasy Thriller
Publisher: INtense Publications
Date Published: 4/11/2020
There were plenty of other middle schoolers it could've chosen. Six-hundred and eighty-six, if you didn't count Clifton. The Arrow of Light appeared in his closet then whisked him away to a far-off land, where a dwarf and magical bird led him to two princes. He returned their arrow that he had somehow found and went home to his normal life. But the Arrow of Light had other plans. When Clifton found out that the king locked the princes in Drofflic Tower, he knew he must return to the past to protect the future. Enlisting the help of many mythical creatures and the princes' own sister, he managed to find the reason the Arrow of Light chose him. But magic can be wrong. And history longs to be told.
Chapter
One
The Boy and the Arrow
The
thought that this was a brainless thing to do hadn't crossed his mind until
now. He fumbled to fit his bow, his fingers like gelatin, as classmates lined
up beside him in Wickham Park. The rest of the seventh graders gathered around
to see who would win the bet between Clifton Chase and the new kid, Ryan Rivales. The instructor counted down the
seconds from his stopwatch, and Clifton swiveled around to see if a certain
pair of green eyes watched him. Yup. Even Ava Harrington had come to see.
"Ready…" the
instructor said.
As sweat stung his eyes, Clifton
remembered why he'd taken the bet. It was this arrow. He'd found it
mysteriously in his closet, and then it lit up for a split second. At least he thought
it had. It seemed so otherworldly at the time, and when Ryan started in on him,
the only thing he could think to do was show that kid up.
"Take aim…" the
instructor continued.
Now he wasn't sure.
He pulled the notched arrow
back. He had one chance, a single-shot test for precision, straight to the
bullseye or whoever came the closest. Ryan wagered his sleek emerald green
binary compound bow, but they both knew this bet was not about the antique
arrow or the slick bow. It was for bragging rights, for pecking order.
For making it through middle
school as king.
"Loose!"
On command, arrows arced through
the air, landing on the targets or the wooden posts they were nailed to. Some
struck the 3D molded deer, which now resembled a porcupine. A few arrows passed
their marks altogether, landing out of sight in the tall grasses of the hilly
sand dunes. 'The Hinterland' as it had been nicknamed. And that's where
Clifton's arrow went.
"Archers….Halt!" the
instructor shouted. "The range is now cold. You may retrieve your
arrows."
Clifton lifted his backpack and
stepped onto the range with the others.
"What happened?" Ava
asked. "You usually have perfect aim."
Clifton's
hands went clammy whenever she came around. It hand't always been that way,
just recently. "Yeah well, I guess that crappy arrow wasn't as good as
Ryan thought it was."
"Why'd you make that bet
with him? Didn't you say you found that thing in your garage or
something?"
"My closet, actually."
Sunlight brightened her eyes and he stared a moment longer than he'd meant to.
"Well, it seems weird for
you. I don't get it."
"There's not much to get,
Ava,"
"Except my arrow,"
said Ryan as he neared them. "Nice shot, by the way." He snickered,
and the few kids who'd tagged behind him laughed.
"Wasn't my fault,"
Clifton said. "I'd never shot it before."
"Doesn't matter now. I won
the bet. My arrow didn't even need to land near the bull's eye, just on the
target."
More laughter erupted, and
Clifton turned away.
Ryan shoved him. "Where you
going, Chase?"
Clifton did a one-eighty.
"Going to get that worthless arrow you won. Must feel good to know your
shot beat an antique."
Ryan's smile dropped. "My
shot," he said in a clipped tone, "beat your shot. Now go find my arrow
and hand it over."
Clifton's hands balled into
fists as he left the circle to reach the edge of The Hinterland. Ava followed.
"I can't believe what a
jerk that guy is," Clifton said. "Can you believe how epic he thinks
he is? Like he's the greatest archer of all times...Robin Hood Rivales."
Ava's hands perched on her hips.
"You're the one that tried convincing him your arrow was something
special, when you knew it wasn't. Seems like maybe Ryan's not the one being the
jerk. See you later, Clifton."
Clifton lowered his head,
defeated. He'd lost the arrow, lost the compound bow, lost his dignity, and Ava
thought he was a jerk. Now, he had to trudge through The Hinterland looking for
the ridiculous arrow that started it all. He swore under his breath and headed
up the dune.
Across the way, Juan Sanchez,
another victim of inaccuracy, scanned the brush facedown like Clifton. He was
about to suggest they join forces when something sunk through his sock into his
ankle. Sandspurs. He'd run through a whole patch and took a few minutes to pick
them off, which hurt his fingers as much as his ankles. As he avoided a red ant
pile, he almost tripped on a root that jutted up like a step.
And still, he hadn't found his
arrow.
About to give up and turn back,
he glimpsed something copper-colored in
the tall brush up ahead. Clifton spread back the grass to reveal the fletching.
Were the feathers swaying? Nah, they couldn't be. There wasn't even a breeze.
Then, he remembered how the shaft had glowed in his bedroom. No, way. This
arrow was as plain as any other. And what did it matter?
It wasn't his anymore.
He grabbed the arrow, and as
soon as he touched it, a wave of dizziness passed over him while a CRACK filled
the air. Clifton stood, turned to head back toward the range, but froze. He was
standing in the middle of an open field covered in yellow flowers that rolled
like carpet into the base of the
surrounding snow-capped mountains.
The Hinterland was gone,
replaced with a shimmer in the air like heat off a highway. And with a sudden
sweat he realized that Wickham Park was gone too.
About the Author
Jaimie Engle writes fantasy thrillers for teens and tweens. Her anti-bullying message has reached tens of thousands of students throughout the US, and her books have hit #1 on the Amazon New Release List. Metal Mouth, her magical realism for teens, is a contender for the 2020-2021 Florida Sunshine State Book List! Before publishing her first novel, Jaimie danced at the Aloha Bowl halftime show, was an alien on Sea Quest, and modeled bikinis for Reef Brazil. When not writing, Jaimie can be found on TikTok or cosplaying at comic conventions. Learn more at www.theWRITEengle.com.
Contact Links
TikTok @jaimieengleauthor
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Also available on iBooks
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1 paperback & 2 ebooks
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