Book 1
Daniel Locke
and the Tower of Eden
Marty Longson
Copyright 2012 by Marty Longson
Copyright © 2011 Marty Longson
all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic. mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1468006407
Dedicated to Trish, Rylie, Keira, Dianne, and Larry.
-There is magic in the world, sometimes you just have to work hard to find it.
PROLOGUE - DOWN IN A HOLE
The black and chrome Bugatti Veyron flew around the corner and blasted around the hillside. The powerful engine roared as the car accelerated through a straight section of road and braked hard for the coming switch back corner. The trees blurred by and mountain air whistled through the car's open windows. Daniel Locke sat behind the wheel humming quietly as the car drifted around a long sweeping curve. The wind ruffled his short brown hair and threatened to tear the sunglasses from his face as he sped along his own private road. He drove the car like an artist, flinging it skilfully through the apex of each corner and accelerating through the straightaways. As he drove, the roadside to his right gave away to a gentle treed slope leading up to a majestic sight. At the top of the hill was a modern day castle.
The impressive stonework of the castle towered over the sprawling valley below. The flowing rooflines and tall stone towers were majestic but simple. Large stained glass windows fronted the main building and stone balconies dotted the walls here and there. The ancient looking castle was also a modern marvel of technology. It had sealed LED stained glass windows that were capable of changing colors at a whim and a thermal heating and cooling system that ran deep into the earth. The castle even had its own state of the art hydroelectric plant. Large tubular wave catchers lay submerged just off the coast. The wave catchers captured the crushing power of the pacific oceans surf as it battered the Californian coastline.
The Bugatti slid to a stop at the crest of the hill as the castle grounds came into sight again. The tall peaks and towers stood silhouetted in the fading light of the setting sun. He paused a moment to take in the beautiful scenery. Daniel breathed in deeply, smelling and tasting the bite of fresh salty ocean air.
This was all for his family. This was a way to bring them all closer. The last few years had been hard on his family. His wife, Jolie, was diagnosed with cancer just over a year ago and his son Daniel junior was getting ready to tour Europe after his boarding school graduation ceremonies next week. Daniel was still trying to convince his son to spend his year off at home instead of abroad.
Daniel Locke looked back down the slope of the hill, to the road that snaked down into the valley. The road was calling him again. His pulse started to race and his breathing quickened in anticipation. He looked back to the castle with the ocean backing it, as the sun burned low over the horizon. With a quick turn of the steering wheel and a blip of the throttle, the Veyron's rear-end whipped around 180 degrees. He was just about to start the valley descent again when his cell phone rang. He touched the Bluetooth button to answer.
YOU ARE READING
Guardian (The Tower Saga, Book 1)
AdventureA magical tattoo. An ancient power. One seventeen year old boy. Indy is a normal kid. That is, as normal as the son of a billionaire can be. He has spent most of his life away from his family in elite private schools. But now that he has graduate...
