Jake West. To understand the legend, you must first understand the boy. There was nothing at all special about Jake West. Nothing that would distinguish him from any other fun loving teenager. Nothing… Except for his lineage. And the rather strange and unique family history he had recently unearthed.
The life-changing role Jake had thrust upon him was an incredible burden to ask of one so young. And it was one from which he should have been spared. The last Keeper of the Stones (his grandfather, Harry) had faked his own death and fooled everyone, on many different worlds, into believing that the precious gems and awesome weapons had been destroyed. But, a chance venture by the boys into Harry’s cluttered attic, would lead to a startling discovery for our two young heroes and unlock many secrets that were meant to remain hidden, changing their lives forever.
When Jake inadvertently opened the box of stones they discovered in an old chest, he alerted everyone by his actions to the stones’ survival. From that moment on, a sequence of world-shattering events which could not be stopped were set in motion. Unknowingly, he had claimed his birthright, and he had also placed himself and all those he loved in mortal danger. He and Ben would soon be hunted across worlds. Having unwittingly revealed one of the world’s greatest secrets, he had no option now but to become a Keeper and fulfil his destiny, for like it or not, he had just been transformed from happy-go-lucky teenager, to world saviour and greatest hope we have in the battle against evil, in an instant.
And so their remarkable journey began. It would be a voyage into the unknown which would decide the fate of us all. Over the next few weeks, Jake would be pursued by ferocious warriors and beasts that seemed to come straight out of his worst nightmares. But somehow, he would find the strength within him to survive and flourish, to lead a rebellion, and raise the hopes of an entire continent. Together with his new allies he would free an army of prisoners and slaves, battle against the most powerful wizard ever known, attempt to restore the box of stones so that they might be used to defeat him, and try to find a way to return him and his friend safely home. The boys would undertake a series of perilous missions in order to acquire the replacement gems they needed. Jake would pass trials and tests designed to defeat far better men. Together, they would fight battles, lead a newly reformed army straight into the greatest civil war in Estian history, raise a sleeping dragon, and manage to survive an onslaught from an army of the living dead, all the time keeping alive the hopes of millions for an end to tyranny.
However, the dark forces of King Vantrax would prove far too numerous and powerful to defeat. Jake, Princess Zephany and the entire Estian force would be routed and made to retreat south, to the city of Te’oull. They escaped from the burnt out ruins of the once mighty fortress of Dassilliak with their lives barely intact, and they had to leave behind their badly wounded King. Jake West and his allies were beaten and on the run, with nowhere left to go. The final battle in the Estian wars loomed and it would be fought at Te’oull. He now placed all of his faith and trust in the four spirits known as the Heynai, the protectors of the Estian people, and the ones who had bestowed upon them the box of stones. It was they who had recruited the Keepers to guard the awesome weapons, as well as the wizard, Tien, to guide them… And it was they who would surely come to his aid now, in this, his moment of greatest need?
If they did not, if they failed to answer the call and chose to abandon him, then Jake West and Ben Brooker, as well as Princess Zephany and the entire army of the Estian Alliance, the last great hope of the their world and ours, were surely doomed.
Chapter 1
31st August - The Kielth Mountains - Siatol
“…But this is madness, Sereq! Sheer and utter folly!
No. No, I say! We must not go. We have to stay. Who is this boy in whom you have placed so much faith? Do any of us really know him?” cried Terristor.
The ancient spirit’s voice and face were now more animated than