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THE DREAM MAKERS
A
Middle-Grade Fantasy-Adventure by Mikey Brooks
SYNOPSIS:
This is the
exciting conclusion to The Dream Keeper Chronicles.
When the nightmare king
escapes into the world of Awake, it is left to Gladamyr and his teen bonds,
Parker and Kaelyn, to stop him. They must return Mares back to Dreams before
the barrier between the two worlds crumbles and darkness reigns forever. But to
do so, Parker and Kaelyn must heal broken friendships and unite an army of
children who are brave enough to conquer their fears.
THE DREAM
KEEPER (BOOK 1)
THE DREAMSTONE (BOOK 2)
THE DREAM
MAKERS (BOOK 3)
EXCERPT 1:
The world was ending.
Parker knew it. The ground shook. The sky blazed with fire. A strange mixture
of laughter and screaming filled his ears. He held Kaelyn tight against his
bare chest. Her warm tears dropped onto his skin.
They
had failed.
It
had been their task to stop Mares from escaping. Now, all hope was lost. Allyon
had been killed and the prison had been undone. The barrier separating the
world of Dreams from the world of Awake would soon crumble.
The
ground split open with a tremendous crack. Kaelyn dug her shaking fingers into
Parker’s skin. He suppressed the urge to cry out. The ground shifted and Parker
opened his eyes. Purple lava bubbled out of the once-hollow graves. Worms and zombies
wriggled in the liquid as it dissolved their bodies. An acrid smell stung
Parker’s nose as a black mist surrounded them.
Someone
screamed.
“Zelda!”
Kaelyn cried, reaching for her aunt who was now sliding with Dr. Gates toward
the edge of a vast ravine.
Parker
called upon his stone magic. A shelf of granite collided with the couple,
halting their fall. Zelda and Dr. Gates held onto each other as Parker tried to
steady the stone slab.
“Gladamyr,”
Parker called. “I can’t hold it much longer.”
With
a nod, Gladamyr stretched out his arms. They shifted longer and longer until
they wrapped around Kaelyn’s aunt and Parker’s psychiatrist. The Dream Keeper
then pulled his bonds to safety. Parker let go his hold on the stone slab, and
it toppled over the side of the ravine.
A
deep laugh boomed.
Parker
felt his bones shake with each guttural roar. The form of Mares was almost
complete. The nightmare’s skeletal body was now being covered in the charred
remains of worms and zombies. They leached to Mares like a writhing black skin.
It churned Parker’s stomach to look at this monster.
The
purple lava snaked its way from the graves and deep ravines. It hissed as Mares
slurped the liquid into his body, adding bulk to his thin frame. Bones cracked
as Mares overextended, and two dragon-like wings unfurled from his back. He
stretched them wide and Parker was reminded of Chernabog in Disney’s Fantasia. The cute Disney demon was
nothing compared to Mares, who was raw and poisonous. To look at him was to
recall every childhood nightmare.
“AHHH!”
Gladamyr cried out. He was jerking back and forth as if being dangled from a
string. “He wants me to join with him. He needs me.”
“No!”
Cerulean shouted. “Fight him! Don’t give in!”
Gladamyr
shook uncontrollably. “He’s too strong.”
“You’re
stronger! Now, fight it!” Cerulean wrapped her arms around Gladamyr and
unfurled her wings. Gladamyr let out another cry, but she held on tight. A
blast of light swirled about her and then formed a protective cocoon around her
and Gladamyr. Parker watched Gladamyr slump to the ground, the invisible string
cut.
Mares
let out a deafening roar. He brought down his giant wings and Parker found
himself falling back. His elbow smashed into the rocky ground, and Kaelyn fell
on top of him. The pain in his arm was nothing compared to the pressure in his
head. Mares shrieked as he lifted his black body from the earth. He flew upward
and pounded against the fiery sky as if it were a shell. It cracked with blue
electricity.
The
sound of shattering glass tore through the fire’s rumble.
The
nightmare king let out a triumphant howl.
The
sky began to fall.
It
was beautiful and frightening all at the same time.
Millions
of tiny stars shot toward the ground. They slammed into headstones and naked
trees, dissolving them like acid. The fire in the sky disappeared, replaced
with an electric wonder. Purple swirls of light and blue lightning boomed
above. Mares reached out a hand and an opening appeared.
The
nightmare spread his large dragon wings and flew through the gap.
The
tear shrank. The brilliance dimmed. The sky turned black.
About The Author:
Mikey Brooks is a small child masquerading as
an adult. On occasion you’ll catch him dancing the funky chicken, singing like
a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is an award winning author
of the middle-grade fantasy adventure series The Dream Keeper Chronicles. His other middle-grade books include: The Gates of Atlantis: Battle for Acropolis
and The Stone of Valhalla. His
picture books include the best-selling ABC
Adventures: Magical Creatures, Trouble
with Bernie, and Bean’s Dragons.
Mikey has a BS degree in English from Utah State University and works fulltime
as a freelance illustrator, cover designer, and author. His art can be seen in
many forms from picture books to full room murals. He loves to daydream with
his three daughters and explore the worlds that only the imagination of
children can create. As a member of the Emblazoners, he is one of many authors
devoted to ‘writing stories on the hearts of children’ (emblazoners.com). You
can find more about him and his books at: www.insidemikeysworld.com
