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Netherfall Academy: Awakening
Netherfall Academy: Awakening
Netherfall Academy: Awakening
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Netherfall Academy: Awakening

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Luke Matthews is an ordinary freshmen in college living in the sleepy midwestern town of Cedar Creek. He spends his days going to school and working, at least until an incident one evening brings to light near impossible healing abilities. Luke is suddenly thrust into a world of magic, monsters, myths, and legends.To help make sense of this new power within him, Luke travels to Netherfall Academy and learns that he is a Magician, someone that is capable of manipulating the magic that flows through the very fabric of reality. If Luke wants to survive, he’ll not only have to learn to control his newfound abilities but also plunge himself head first into a dangerous new world. Community college was so much easier.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 13, 2017
ISBN9781370508815
Netherfall Academy: Awakening

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    Book preview

    Netherfall Academy - Matthew Burkey

    Netherfall Academy:

    Awakening

    By:

    Matthew Burkey

    Copyright 2017

    Check Out Other Titles By Matthew Burkey:

    Legends of Aldara: Omens

    Legends of Aldara Birthright

    The Guardian Chronicles: Dark Horizon (ebook)

    The Guardian Chronicles: Rise of the Phoenix (ebook)

    The Guardian Chronicles: Edge of the Abyss (ebook)

    Dedication:

    This book is dedicated first and foremost to my amazing family and friends. And to my editor, who without a doubt saved me from some pretty serious plot holes. It’s been almost a year in the making so please, sit back, relax and welcome to Netherfall Academy!

    Table of Contents

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Chapter 8

    Chapter 9

    Chapter 10

    Chapter 11

    Chapter 12

    Chapter 13

    Chapter 14

    Chapter 15

    Chapter 16

    Chapter 17

    Chapter 18

    Chapter 19

    Chapter 20

    Chapter 21

    Chapter 22

    CHAPTER 1

    Darkness. Luke was surrounded by darkness. A darkness that crept into his body, permeated his being and tore at his soul. In his dream Luke always found himself standing in a field, surrounded by a stormy sky. He could smell the rain on the horizon and feel the charge in the air. Thunder echoed through the darkness and then all hell broke loose. Flaming creatures charged toward him, swinging weapons sheathed in angry red fire. Terror gripped his soul; Luke didn’t know what they were but they scared him and filled him with a dread that turned the blood in his veins to ice.

    Luke knew that he should turn and run. Every fiber of his being was telling him that. There was one problem though; Luke couldn’t move. He looked up and saw the wave of monsters drawing closer, screaming in a language that he didn’t recognize. Luke knew the end was coming and his eyes grew wide as he watched the first blazing sword plunge through his chest. An explosion of pain seared through his torso, sending waves of agony throughout every nerve in his body. All Luke could do was stand there as the blade continued to plunge deeper and deeper into his chest, sending searing bolts of pain crashing through him. Flames flowed from the blade, running over his skin like liquid fire…

    Luke bolted up in bed, covered in sweat and feeling utterly exhausted. He glanced down at his chest and at the exact spot where he had been impaled in his dream. There was no mark on his skin but it didn’t make the dream feel any less real. He had been having the same dream every night since he turned eighteen three months ago. It happened every time that he drifted off to sleep.

    Luke Matthews threw the covers off his bed and stretched. The sun’s rays were just starting to peak over the horizon, sending splashes of light into the room. Luke walked over to the window and pulled up the shade, letting the rest of the morning light in. A quick glance at his phone told him that summer wasn’t going to relinquish its hold just yet and it was going to be a comfortable ninety degrees today with thirty percent humidity. There were times when Luke dreaded living in the Midwest and the Indian summers just happened to be one of those times.

    Mornings, Luke muttered. I really hate mornings.

    Luke turned away from the window and headed towards the bathroom. His studio apartment was small and located over his place of work, an antique store that was nestled among the many mom and pop shops that lined Main Street in Cedar Creek, Iowa. It wasn’t glamorous but it was clean, had running water, and electricity. The owner, Anna, rented it to Luke for a mere fifty bucks a month. There was no way that he could afford a place this clean on his own.

    The small studio apartment had been his home for just over three years now. It had a double bed, a beige recliner, entertainment stand with a TV, and a small bookcase. Luke had small red patio table tucked into the alcove near the kitchen that doubled as his desk. He hadn’t given too much thought to decorating but what he did have reflected his love of all things science fiction and fantasy.

    Vintage posters from the original Star Wars trilogy hung framed on his walls, as well as posters from Lord of the Rings, and a few other fantasy epics. Two small back statues of dragons sat on either side of his headboard and a variety of books on Tolkien and Dungeons and Dragons were jammed into crates that pulled out from under his bed.

    He crossed from his bedroom area to the bathroom and flipped on the lights. He splashed some water on his face before looking back at the mirror. Luke stood at 5’11 with dirty blonde hair that curled around his ears, blue eyes, and lean build. He wasn’t jacked full of muscles like you see on guys at the gym but he had fair amount of definition and the faintest hint of a six pack going on.

    Luke sported two tattoos, one on his right shoulder blade that depicted a series of celtic knots and then a phoenix in flight that covered the left side of his chest. People always asked him what they were supposed to mean. Luke would just shrug and tell them that he just thought they were cool.

    Luke reached inside and turned the water on, letting it build to a nice scalding temperature. He stepped out of his boxer-briefs and into the hot torrent of water, letting it wash over his skin. After cleaning up, Luke got out and padded back to the bedroom area and threw on a pair of jeans and a Superman tee-shirt. He headed over to the small kitchen to find something for his growling stomach.

    A look in the cupboards told him that he really needed to hit the store sometime soon. He found a box of pop tarts and started munching on them while his ancient coffee maker started brewing the elixir of the gods. Really, if he didn’t have coffee in the morning someone might get murdered.

    Well, maybe not murdered but maimed for sure. Luke had to scrounge in the sink for a clean coffee to go mug. Luckily, he had about a thousand of them. Most of them were superhero themed. After pouring the contents of the cup into the mug, Luke screwed on the top, grabbed his backpack and headed out the door.

    Slow down! Anna hissed, as Luke bounded down the stairs. You’re going to fall and break your neck!

    He rolled his eyes. I have excellent hand eye coordination.

    As Luke walked into the shop, the smell of cinnamon and vanilla hit him. No matter how many old treasures, as Anna called them, came into the store it never smelled old or musty. It was something that always fascinated him, even after working here for all these years. What was even more mind boggling was that Luke couldn’t find a damn air freshener or scented candle anywhere in the whole place. And he had looked for considerable amount of time.

    You walked into a door.

    One time, replied Luke. It was one time.

    I have to leave by four today, you’re sure that you can make it back after class? Anna asked.

    Totally, he said with a nod. I just have two classes today. I’ll be back in plenty of time to close up the shop.

    Anna smiled warmly at him. She was a short woman, with snow white hair, a plump build, and blue eyes that still twinkled with a hint of mischief. She dressed in jeans and sweatshirts year round, usually with very bright and garish scarf tied around her neck. Today was no exception; despite the summer temperatures she had on a grey sweatshirt, jeans, and a bright purple scarf.

    I can always ask Mary to do it too, Anna said, as he came into the front area of the shop. I don’t want you to worry about that if you are supposed to be in class.

    We’ve been over this, Luke sighed, taking a sip of his coffee. It’s not a problem, my last class ends at one, I’ll be back in plenty of time.

    Do you want to take the car? Anna asked.

    Luke quickly shook his head. While he was appreciative of the offer, Anna’s car scared him to death. It was an ancient tan Ford LTD that looked like was going to explode if you eased it past ten miles an hour. And assuming you could get it started it rattled, smoked, and otherwise sounded like it was on its deathbed the entire time that you had it in gear. The first time that Luke drove it kept backfiring so loud that he was sure he was getting shot at.

    After that Luke vowed to never get in that car again. Public transportation was far safer than that death trap.

    Anna’s shop, Old Things, as it was aptly called, wasn’t large but it was well furnished with beautiful antiques. Some of them were pretty pricey, Luke knew that because he used to get heart palpitations moving some of the pieces around. The front of the store was one long large window, decorated with rustic pieces that suited the season. Right now, it had several pieces of red, white, and blue on display.

    At the moment, Anna was behind the cash register, looking at her tablet. For a woman of seventy years, she was remarkably adept at working technology. She spent more time on Facebook and on Twitter than Luke did.

    Of course that could have been because Anna had more friends than Luke had. Well, anyone would have more friends than Luke did. It wasn’t that he didn’t like people. Luke was found of them, well most of them. Some of them he could really do without… like those people that can’t get off their phones for a second. Or those people that are obsessed with reality TV. Or Trump supporters. Okay, so there were a few kinds of people that Luke couldn’t stand.

    Luke wanted to make friends but it wasn't easy growing up. The moving around a lot made it hard to connect with anyone. After he settled down in Cedar Creek, he was far more concerned with things like surviving. But, even after that no one in high school really wanted anything to do with him. Luke had tried to get involved in a few clubs and sports but nothing ever seemed to stick.

    Occasionally, Anna’s nephew Davis would stop over at the shop and ask if he wanted to go to a movie or something. Luke knew Anna was only asking him to do it because she felt sorry for him. Sometimes, Luke felt that way too.

    A part of Luke liked the fact that he was so self-reliant. There was an even bigger part, however, that wanted to find people that he could trust and confide in. That, of course, meant letting people in and that was something that Luke did not do so well. The last person that he had let in was Clay and although he saved Luke’s life, he also ended up leaving it.

    He didn’t blame Clay for that, really he had his own life to live and was under no obligation to Luke. The one thing that he would have liked was for Clay to try and keep in contact. Sadly, Luke hadn’t heard from him at all since he had left for the east coast. Although if Luke was honest with himself, he hadn’t made much of an effort to stay in touch either.

    You know, you should try and hang out in the commons more, you might meet some people your age, Anna insisted, setting her tablet down. It might do you some good.

    Luke shook his head. It’s ok, really. I don’t mind closing down the shop. Where are you going anyway?

    Pearl’s grandson is getting married, she invited me to the wedding… I’ve never been to a gay wedding before, I can’t wait!

    What do you think will be different about it?

    Anna considered his question. Hm, I guess I really don’t know.

    I mean I doubt there are going to be rainbows and pride flags all over the place, Luke said. It will probably be just like a normal wedding.

    Maybe, Anna relied with a shrug. The wedding is in Omaha, so I will be gone most of Saturday too. Mary will open up if you can close.

    Luke nodded and took another sip of coffee. No problem.

    Unless you wanted to switch shifts with her, Anna offered. I mean I am sure that Mary would be willing to switch. Say, if you had a date or something.

    I already told you Anna, Luke responded, sighing heavily. I am not dating anyone nor do I really want too.

    But you should be out having the time of your life.

    Who says I’m not? Luke retorted. He checked his watch and realized that if he didn’t get moving he was going to dangerously close to having to take the car to make it class on time. But I need to get going, have a good time at the wedding. You’ll have to let me know how it went.

    I certainly will dear, Anna said, with a smile. Have a good day.

    You too.

    Luke headed out the door and into the morning air. Already the atmosphere was thick with humidity and caused his clothes to stick to him. It was going to be unbearable when the sun was up. He took off at a brisk walk down the sidewalk towards the bus stop.

    Cedar Creek, Iowa was nestled amongst the far spreading farmland that made up a good majority of the state. It seemed like your typical small town, complete with had your typical with a main street that housed a variety of family owned businesses and shops. The houses almost all had white picket fences and everyone knew everyone else, which meant that everyone knew everyone’s business.

    As Luke walked passed Mimi’s Cafe, the owner, Martha Kline glanced in his direction. She was a portly woman that lacked all of Anna’s charm. She quickly looked away without acknowledging him. That wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Luke knew that people whispered about him around town, hell it was hard not to. He was the only kid in the history of the town to essentially divorce his parents. He didn’t care either, something that probably annoyed the likes of Martha Kline even more.

    The small community college that Luke went to was just on the outskirts of town. It drew a lot of people from the surrounding towns and was the only real option for those that didn’t want to drive the hour and a half to get to metropolitan area of Council Bluffs and Omaha.

    As he approached the bus stop he glanced across the across the street. There wasn’t that much to see, at least not until he came around the corner. Luke stumbled a little as he walked, nearly falling head first into a light pole as he tracked the movements of the man across the street. Striding down the sidewalk might have been one of the hottest guys that Luke had seen on the planet.

    He had strawberry blonde hair with a build that clearly said athlete. He wore a green tee-shirt that clung to his muscular frame and jeans that outlined his legs and other… assets nicely. He looked to be about Luke’s age or maybe a little older. Luke knew one thing for sure, the guy had to be new in town. Luke would have remembered someone as good looking as him wandering around. He appeared to be totally oblivious to the fact that Luke was mentally tearing his clothes off and storing the images for a later date.

    The young man continued walking along the street, stopping occasionally to admire things in the storefronts. He finally stopped in front of Hal’s Hardware before heading inside, cutting off Luke’s view. He sighed heavily and hung his head, so much for his eye candy. A few moments later, the bus came rattling down the road. Luke grimaced as soon as he saw; it looked like it belonged in the same decade as Anna’s Ford. It also felt about as reliable as her vehicle, although in all honesty Luke was pretty sure that the bus wasn’t going to explode.

    Luke stepped up into the bus, swiped his card and took a seat as the bus lurched into motion. He dug his phone out of his pocket and plugged in his earbuds before switching his music on. Closer by the Chainsmokers started to flow into Luke’s head, prompting him to start tapping his feet. Luke refrained from full on dancing, which was probably a good thing. Not only would he have gotten his fair share of odd looks on the bus he also knew that his dancing was more akin to a full body dry heave. Or maybe a seizure.

    Twenty minutes later, Luke stepped off the bus and made his way up the long sidewalk that ran in front of the university's main building. It was a three story structure, a series of frosted glass covering most of the front. A row of flowerbed, complete with a rainbow of vibrant colors.

    Despite the college being nothing more than a local community school, the campus was well maintained and the grounds surprisingly tidy. The buildings had all received facelifts over the years, making them look a lot more modern than they actually were. He continued walking up the path, past the Physical Sciences building and then around the large fountain that was set up in the quad. The mist coming off the fountain felt amazing and it was only eight in the morning.

    Hey Luke.

    Luke turned around to see who was talking and almost wished that he hadn’t. Leslie Gibbons was bounding toward him. She was one of those girls who thought the only way to get attention was to wear clothes that were a size too small. In this case such a move did a perfect job of highlighting her rather sizeable chest. Despite the fact that Luke didn’t find women attractive, he knew that Leslie was beautiful, at least if you were into blondes with large chests, a small waist, and a horrible addiction to selfies.

    Sadly, Leslie had graduated with Luke the year before. She seemed to think that this alone entitled her to his friendship or perhaps a romantic encounter. What she failed to realize, though, was that Luke was in no way interested in her at all. Or any female romantic relationship for that matter. He thought that he had dropped enough hints on the subject but sadly, she was remaining true to the stereotypical blonde persona and ignoring all of the said hints.

    Hey Leslie, Luke replied, with a small smile.

    She fell into step next to him and flashed him a big smile. So, I was thinking that we should study together for that quiz next week. How about you come over to my place tonight? We could grab some food or something. Plus, my fake ID is so good no one ever cards me. I can get us some wine or some beer or whatever really.

    Luke decided not to point out that her style of dress probably factored more into the reason that she was never carded than the quality of her fake ID.

    Sorry but I’m closing the shop tonight.

    You close at seven. That still leaves plenty of time for us, Leslie replied. I could come by the shop, we could even study there.

    Luke exhaled loudly. We’ve been over this. Anna doesn’t like people coming over to the shop while she’s not there, especially if those people have been drinking.

    Leslie rolled her eyes and put no her best pouty face. You have your own place, right? We could always go up to your apartment and hang out.

    My apartment’s a total mess right now.

    That was a bold face lie. Luke’s apartment was rarely messy but she didn’t know that. As far as she was concerned he was just like every other college age male out there; totally incapable of keeping a clean house. She did not need to know that Luke was borderline OCD when it came to the cleanliness of his home.

    I don’t mind a mess, cooed Leslie. Sometimes it could be a total turn on.

    Luke groaned.

    Besides, you are so good at history and I feel like a total idiot.

    It’s just memorizing dates, he replied, as they climbed the steps into the building. It’s not really all that hard and doesn’t require a whole lot of critical thinking.

    My memory sucks, she responded, slipping past him while he held the door open. Besides, studying is so much more fun when you have someone to do it with. I can actually think of a few other things that are more fun with partners.

    I’m sure you can.

    So?

    No thank you.

    Leslie snorted in annoyance. Whatever, I used to feel sorry for you. Everyone made fun of you in high school. They all said you were some weird loner that was too freaky for his own parents so they threw you out.

    Luke repressed the urge to roll his eyes otherwise lash out at her. He started to get angry and felt his face start to flush, forcing him to take several deep and measured breaths. Luke had learned a lot on his own, including the very fact that smacking someone just to shut them up was uncalled for. Most of the time. He shook that thought away and turned to face Leslie again.

    I don’t care what anyone in high school said about me, Luke said, when he was finally calm enough to speak. That was high school Leslie, who gives a shit about what went on in high school? Not me.

    Leslie shook her head and stomped off down the hall, away from class. A part of him wanted to point out to her that class started in five minutes but decided against it. She was a big girl and could take care of herself. Luke shrugged the conversation off and headed into the classroom. He took his usual seat toward the back and pulled out his book and notebook.

    Looking around, Luke realized that he was one of the few people in class that still took notes by hand. It had more to do with the fact that I couldn’t afford a tablet than anything. He had an ancient desktop back at his apartment that worked well enough for papers but was about useless for anything else.

    The professor came waddling in a few minutes later. Charles Grey was a short, round, and very unpleasant man that seemed to loathe his station in life. His black hair never seemed to be groomed and his breath always stank of coffee. He dropped his briefcase down on the desk, clapped his hands together and gave the whole class a smile that was full of his yellowed teeth.

    Pop quiz time!

    The whole room groaned and Luke glanced around to see if Leslie had come back in yet but he couldn’t spot her. No doubt she would be asking to borrow his notes the next time that he saw her. She acted all mad and irritated but that never kept her away for long. He settled back in his chair as the professor started passing out the testing sheets.

    Forty five minutes later, he was headed out the door and back through the quad on his way to his second class of the day. Already, the sun was beating down on the campus, prompting Luke to walk slowly by the refreshing mist of the fountain again. Introduction to Sociology was more entertaining than history, at least it was for Luke. As he crossed the quad, he glanced around, just to see what he might have been missing given his self-imposed celibacy. He meant what he said to Anna earlier, he wasn’t really looking to date but that didn’t stop him from occasionally scooping out the bodies that he saw at school.

    At the moment, school and keeping himself employed ranked way higher on his priorities in life than getting laid. It wasn’t that those urges weren’t there, they were, but he had gotten pretty good at ignoring them over the years. Even with the surprising amount of single, attractive, gay men on campus.

    Luke pulled a granola bar from his backpack and started munching on it as he walked to the library. Like the other buildings on campus, it had seen some renovations over the years. The front was a composed of a glass atrium and a series of bronze abstract sculptures. Luke had no idea who actually created them other than it was a former student that had gone on to make a big hit in the art world.

    He made his way past the sculptures and into the main section of the library. Row after row of books filled the large two story space. He passed the return desk and headed up the stairs and made a left, angling directly towards the series of computers that were set in the corner by a bank of windows.

    He picked out a computer and flopped down into the seat. There was movement to his left and he whirled around to see what was there. He caught a fleeting glimpse of strawberry blonde hair. For a moment butterflies crowded in his stomach as he recalled the young man from earlier.

    Slowly and as surreptitiously as possible, Luke craned his neck in an attempt to see around one of the bookcases. It wasn’t any use, however and the only thing that Luke saw were the rather odd looks he was getting from other students. He was half tempted to get up and look for him, maybe catch another glimpse of his handsome face. Luke shook his head and then turned back to the computer. He had a creative writing paper to finish, that was why he was in the library, not to scope out hot guys.

    Within moments the computer booted up and soon he was searching the internet for inspiration, looking for something spark his imagination. Luke was tired of the same old stories and for a brief moment, toyed with the idea of putting his own personal story to paper. He rejected that idea almost immediately. He wasn’t ready to share that part of his life yet and even if he did, he was pretty sure that someone was going to feel sorry for him. He didn’t want that and if he was honest with himself, the underdog story was way overdone.

    As he surfed the net, he kept glancing around the room. Luke knew it was stupid to keep looking for him but he couldn’t help myself. The more baffling part was that he really had no idea why either. The mystery man was good looking but there were plenty of good looking guys around, and one of them had so far caused such a fixation. Luke cursed himself for the distraction and turned back to the computer screen. He needed to focus on his paper and not the strawberry blonde haired man that he had seen roaming Main Street.

    Despite the renovations the building had gone through, the library wasn’t particularly well air conditioned. He often felt like he sweated off several pound inside the walls on days like today, so he was a little surprised when he felt a chill come over his skin. He shivered uncontrollably again, cold washing over his body and causing goose pimples to appear. The temperature felt like it had dropped ten degrees over the course of a few seconds.

    What the hell is going on here? Luke muttered. He cast a furtive glance around the area but shrugged his shoulders when he didn’t see anything out of place.

    No one else in the library appeared to be having the same sensations or at the very least they weren’t showing any outward signs of noticing the sudden drop in temperature. That did not make him feel any better. Luke turned back to the computer and just as soon as the feeling came over him, it disappeared. Luke whipped around quickly in his chair but just like before no one else seemed to notice anything.

    He turned back to the screen and started clicking through various links, searching for inspiration. After almost a half hour he hadn’t really come up with anything and the few ideas he had didn’t seem like they would be able to fill the five page requirement. Sighing heavily, Luke shoved his things back in his backpack and stood up. Just one more class and then he was headed home to lock up the shop. He took one more look around the library and then shook his head before heading out the door.

    CHAPTER 2

    The bus ride home was hot, humid, and loud. Luke was once again sure this was going to be the bus’s last trip. He made a mental note that he would never get back on bus number 184 again. The sun was beating down on him as he hastened back to the shop. When Luke entered, he found Anna just finishing up with a customer. She smiled warmly at him as Luke moved past them to the back of the store and then up the stairs to his apartment. Once inside, he tossed his backpack on the bed, grabbed an apple, and then headed back downstairs.

    Anna was showing another customer out when Luke came back into the store. So how was class today?

    Fine. Luke replied. Nothing too exciting.

    Does anything exciting ever happen? countered Anna.

    Yeah, not really, no. Well, unless you count that time they caught that guy streaking across the quad. That was kind of exciting in a weird sort of way.

    Was he cute?

    Not in the slightest, Luke responded, with a shrug of his shoulders. I got into a fight with Leslie again, I don’t think that she gets the hint that I’m not into girls.

    Anna rolled her eyes. Well, have you directly told her?

    I thought I made that clear, Luke said, with a frown. But apparently I’ll have to spell it out for her or something.

    Well, I’m almost all packed. Are you sure that you are okay with this? Really, I can have someone else watch the shop.

    Do you not trust me? he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. Luke tried to put on his best annoyed and angry face. Judging by how large her eyes got, it was having the desired effect.

    What! she balked. Of course I trust you!

    Then stop worrying about it. I promise everything will be fine and I promise that the shop will still be standing when you get back. Hell, who knows, I might even sell something.

    I just feel bad, that’s all.

    Luke shook his head and sighed heavily. Why in the world do you feel bad? You have nothing to feel bad about. I’m your employee, it’s my job to open and close the store. And it’s not like I had plans anyway.

    You should have.

    Have plans? he inquired, with a raised eyebrow. Nope, my only plans are to get keep a roof over my head and keep my grades up. That’s about it as far as my plans go.

    The way that Anna looked at him reminded Luke of the way that he had seen other kid’s grandparent’s look at them, a combination of pride and sadness. She patted Luke gently on the cheek.

    But that’s my point, Luke, you should have other plans. I worry about you. You spend all your time here or studying; you should be out having a life.

    "I’m studying so I can make something of

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