Astrodon
Dawn of Battle
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
"He was rushing through the river, Hornlons behind him. His mind swam. This time there were tall, slender men and women in robes that were riding on tigers, surrounding him in a forest. His mind swam. He saw the Baron''''s face appear in front of him and heard his voice clearly: "I have a mission for you." The Baron''''s face readjusted into the face of the boy that he had seen in his dreams before. Again, the boy was standing by the river. It was a clear, sunny day and Jonathon could hear the sound that a hammer makes as it is driving a nail into the wood. He waded towards the boy at the edge of the river. Before he got to the boy, Jonathon watched as the boy was swept away by the current of the river. The river was in flames. In front of him, from the village, he heard women, children and men screaming. Arrows whistled past Jonathon and he watched as the dreaded Hornlons made their way from their protective hideout in the trees towards the river. A fierce Hornlon that was much more frightening than all the rest of the force put together headed them. Jonathon cried out, but it was too late as he saw the Hornlons rush into the city and he was helpless to stop their attack. He surveyed the sight in front of him as the Hornlons ravaged the city. They broke through the city''''s defenses and burst through houses lighting them aflame. Jonathon''''s heart fell as he watched the city by the river pillaged. Jonathon''''s mind swam again and his vision gradually readjusted. There were flashes of Baron Donovan. He pointed to a piece of paper and said, "Do not fail." The image of the tiger riders came again and Jonathon noticed that Ottillia and Leonard were with him, as were Sir Jerome, Sir Alan, Sir Dominic and Sir Crispin. They had their swords out and watched as the man on the lead tiger dismounted, a scimitar in his hand. He began to speak, but Jonathon could not hear what he said. His vision blanked and his eyes cleared. He was lying down and one of the women who rode on the tigers was standing above him and swooping down towards him. He woke, panting and dripping with cold sweat. Around him, he heard only the snores of his companions, but he did not relax. After a while he began to breathe more deeply and fell asleep, back into the nightmares that tormented him. He saw the boy by the river’s edge, who was once again trying to mouth words to him. Jonathon walked slowly towards the boy. The boy, who had eluded him in his dreams, spoke two words to Jonathon. "Build it," he said. "Build what?" The boy answered, "Build it." Jonathon responded, "I don''''t understand." The boy pointed at the water. "Look*and see!" Jonathon waited and the water turned foggy. It did not show his reflection anymore. It showed many men, standing straight and tall behind an Astrodonian standard. Jonathon tried to see the extent of these men fighting for Astrodon. But, he could not. The line of men extended as far as he could see. The water showed his reflection again and then, showed a naval fleet. It was of Astrodonian origin. Jonathon did not understand. Jonathon had no knowledge of either image’s reality and was only confused by the images that were presented to him."
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Jonathon Longwood never felt like he belonged on Earth.. .and soon finds out that he doesn''t. Jonathon finds "himself on the world of Astrodon- a place that he has been summoned to in order to accept his destiny as the rightful King. But, first he must learn about his people, his world and his father. However, the Hornlons, ancient and mortal enemies of the Astrodonians have a different plan- one that Jonathon and his friends, Ottillia and Leonard, must thwart before it is too late. Through journeys to the
About the Author
Christina Mainero and Anthony Mainero wrote Astrodon: Dawn of Battle, the first of a saga of novels about Astrodon, in the summer of 2004. Currently, they are working on the second novel,. Astrodon: The Shadow of Darkness. Additionally in the works is a futuristic novel called Dintri: The Last City, as well as an untitled fantasy work. Anthony and Christina have both written several short stories. Christina, who wrote the novel when she was 15, will be a high school senior in the fall of 2005 and her brother Anthony, who co-authored the novel when he was 12, will be entering eighth grade. They both live happily in Corona del Mar,