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Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd - Peter Hilditch

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132 pages

English

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In the far-flung future, humanity has regressed to an endless warring period. Skill with a forged weapon is king now. Jesse was born on the streets but has always dreamed of becoming a warrior himself. Maybe even a lieutenant? But in this world of endless warfare can anyone take control of the whole continent?

Informations

Publié par	Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
Date de parution	06 janvier 2023
Nombre de lectures	2
EAN13	9781528989619
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0175€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Lieutenant: Tales from the Super Continent
Peter Hilditch
Austin Macauley Publishers
2023-01-06
Lieutenant: Tales from the Super Continent About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgement Prologue 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 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Epilogue
About the Author
Peter Hilditch is a 30-year-old teaching assistant from south Manchester. From an early age, he used to spend many hours creating his own narratives with his toys, and he used to love building the stories. As he got older, he enjoyed many other types of storytelling, from books, TV, films, or videogames. Always trying to find the best story. Eventually, he decided to write his own and there is nothing he loves more than disappearing into one of the worlds he has created.
Dedication
For all the children I have worked with over the years.
Copyright Information ©
Peter Hilditch 2023
The right of Peter Hilditch to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528973014 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528989619 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published 2023
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd ®
1 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5AA
Acknowledgement
Thank you to my brothers, David, Andrew and Joshua, who had the unfortunate displeasure of reading my first drafts.
Prologue
In the far-flung future, the continents have continued their endlessly slow dance across the planet; once again concluding in a smashing together of the massive landmasses. Whole civilisations rose and fell as the continents meandered; they had no interest when they caused mountain ranges to ebb and flow. Forests grew and died in seconds for them. The resulting conclusion of the never-ending waltz was the creation of a super continent named Pangaea Ultima. The final landmass was the largest the world had ever experienced. The continent was so vast that rain clouds struggled to reach the centre, resulting in a sprawling desert forming in the middle. Rising out of the southern part of the continent, rich and fertile jungle grew around the equatorial line. Mountain ranges were formed on the right and left flanks of the vast kingdom. The individual continents forcing together pushed up the monoliths of stone higher than ever seen before. Life as ever endured, knowing no difference in their everyday lives.
Humanity had survived the millions of years but had become a shell of its once glorious past. Little fiefdoms and kingdoms rose and fell as the individual warlords and emperors fought each other desperate to gain dominance.
Then came the rule of King Jeroboam, the foremost fighter and general. He conquered the entire continent in a single lifetime. This was a glorious chapter in humanities’ book of time. Jeroboam used his considerable influence to establish many new concepts; one economy, doing away with the confusion of multiple cultures using multiple currencies. He introduced one universal language, through the culling of several inferior dialects. But his greatest invention was the creation of the Guild. The Guild was in charge of all the knowledge of the empire; the only technology that had been passed down over the years; the knowledge of forging iron.
Unfortunately, everything has its time and the king died leaving his rule behind to his squabbling children; resulting in the immediate creation of many new kingdoms and the loss of control of the entire continent. The people were back to an era of open war between squabbling states and tribalism. Within in a hundred years the continent was back to what it once was; a seething mass of squabbling warlords and murderous despots.
Chapter 1
The super continent of Pangaea Ultima spread out onto the planet previously called Earth. At the core of the landmass was a vast and empty desert, bereft of any substantial life. Some experienced scavengers dipped in and out to find crucial resources and sell what little they could find, keeping their meagre existence going. To the west of the desert sat the King mountain range, with some of the highest mountains on Earth. The tallest points never being explored as the lack of breathable air made the trek impossible for humans to conquer. South of the huge desert was a colossal natural harbour formed by the continent stretching out to protect a large body of water. Two large rainforests sat either side of the coastline reinforced by the heat of the equator. To the west of the continent, the climate and the terrain came together to form vast areas of grasslands and large unconquered forests. It was here that one of the most important people in unrecorded history began his story.
Jesse had little interest in the rest of the world; he had not yet experienced many of these natural wonders. He was too busy trying to survive in one of the smaller fiefdoms that were dotted across the continent.
The town of Rugged sat beside a large forest to the west of the continent. The town’s main supply of commerce was the forest and they were known for supplying good quality lumber to many other towns and settlements in the west, including the metropolis of Pretoria, the home of the Baron Jackson.
Jesse’s morning began early; he awoke before the rise of the sun. Leaving the dilapidated dojo behind, he took off down the hill. The town was yet to awake and the sun was starting to throw its rays onto the empty canvas of black sky. Jesse passed two other competing dojos as he headed to the main gate. The large training complexes were starting to wake and Jesse saw a few trainees arriving early to impress their superiors. Each of these dojos towered over the smaller buildings sitting on either side of them. Mainly they were constructed from lumber and large wooden beams. Lady Emma ruled over one of the dojos and Master Manish over the other, each mighty warrior educating their pupils in their style of combat.
Jesse tore past the blacksmiths’ quarters situated slightly further down the road. Some of the apprentices were up, starting the fires of the forges, and he caught sight of his friend stooping over a few small embers. Jesse would catch up with him later but for now he had to be somewhere else. A defensive wall surrounded the entirety of the upper town; this too was constructed from large wooden beams sourced from the nearby lumber yard.
The stationed guards saw Jesse approaching at speed; and with the well-executed skill of completing the same action every day; they opened the small gate within the larger door quickly. Jesse flew through the opening to burst into the market district. The guards were used to seeing this figure on his morning routine so did not question why he was moving at such a speed.
There was never anyone around in the lower town at this time. As the customers didn’t appear for a few hours, the shopkeepers took their time, slowly presenting their wares for maximum engagement. Small two-storey houses lined the well-trodden road each one built with a store front. The quality of the buildings’ lumber was slightly worse than the higher town but regardless the houses stood tall and strong. The high street went on for another half a mile like this.
Further on, the shops thinned out to reveal residential houses for the townspeople who worked in the fields and the forest. These houses were too constructed lumber but from the off cuttings. All the timbers used were different sizes yet they had been skilfully arranged to form solid living quarters. The handiwork of the lumber smiths was on full display. The buildings too eventually gave way.
Jesse passed the cavalry barracks containing the messenger stallions, just before he entered the cultivated fields. He turned slightly at pace and made for the river where the granary mill was. The fields lay still, soaking in the early morning sunshine. He saw large crops of vegetables beginning to emerge from the cultivated soil. A straight muddy road ran through the fields and Jesse followed the highway to his destination.
The river emerged ahead through the morning mist and revealed a large building sitting on the side of the waterway. The granary had a water wheel attached which was currently turning with the slow-moving river. Jesse stopped to hammer on the ruggedly carved door; being careful to not pick up a splinter. Something he had managed to do repeatedly in the past.
The door swung open and the miller’s wife appeared into view. She recognised him and smiled. The young man had slightly tanned skin from the continuous sunshine, the area received in the summertime. His black hair stood out amongst the brown and blonde hair of the average townsperson making his appearance unusual for the people living in this region. It had been suggested to Jesse in the past that his ancestry might have hailed from the south lands. For the young man who had spent his early years on the