Endland needs its heroes...
Bryce Blooms and his friends just might be what the realm of Endland needs, and under the tutelage of Walding Zarlorn, a grandmaster of legend, they have a chance to make a difference.
Too bad that same grandmaster is mostly senile, and Bryce and his friends are young and oblivious. They would much prefer to go back home to earth. And maybe eat a sandwich.
But Endland has been tossed into chaos since their arrival, with monsters stirring and war on the minds of the lords and ladies of the realm. And with the Grim conspiring to free their dark lord from his interdimensional prison, the boys will need to step into their roles as Chosen to navigate the growing shadow, whether they are ready or not.
Endland needs its heroes...
Bryce Blooms and his friends just might be what the realm of Endland needs, and under the tutelage of Walding Zarlorn, a grandmaster of legend, they have a chance to make a difference.
Too bad that same grandmaster is mostly senile, and Bryce and his friends are young and oblivious. They would much prefer to go back home to earth. And maybe eat a sandwich.
But Endland has been tossed into chaos since their arrival, with monsters stirring and war on the minds of the lords and ladies of the realm. And with the Grim conspiring to free their dark lord from his interdimensional prison, the boys will need to step into their roles as Chosen to navigate the growing shadow, whether they are ready or not.
âIâll tell you what, you guys need to figure out this whole rest area thing. âCus if I have to dig another hole so I can drop a deuce, I think Iâm going to lose my mind,â Johnny called aloud as he emerged from a thicket of trees, twirling a small hand shovel by its leather wrist strap. âI mean come on, doesnât Endland have any civil engineers? Hasnât anyone gotten tired of digging poop holes all over the country?â Bryce sat up quickly from his pack, sweating and unnerved, and then immediately held his nose in disgust as Zack laughed aloud, his big belly jiggling at Johnnyâs absurdity.
âYouâve awoken poor Bryce here, Johnny!â Bartellom jeered with a smile. âAnd Iâm only half certain it was your words that did it and not the smell!â Johnny laughed and handed the shovel to Bartellom, who wiped it free of dirt on the nearest patch of grass before storing it in a small pack on his massive back. The barbarian had no trouble hauling his pack, as well as a good deal of the three boysâ gear. They were not as accustomed to hiking through woods for days like those of Endland were.
âWell, thatâs what happens when youâre constantly napping! You get constantly woken up! All good things must come to an end, or so they say,â Johnny mockingly scolded as he took a seat next to his friend. âBut thatâs my bad B-man, I didnât think youâd get to snoozing that quick!â
Bryce waved a hand in front of his nose as remnants clung to his friend. He laid his head back meekly as the shock of waking subsided and wiped the sweat from his forehead and shaggy brown hair. Lady Janeph approached and knelt next to him; concern written plainly on her face as her dark eyes peered searchingly at him. She and Walding seemed to be the only two to recognize his trouble sleeping. Every night was the same since they had left the city of Eislark. Every night brough dreams. They were almost exclusively of Marge and Walt and that hideous Jamesett at the hospital, but occasionally they were of a struggling Walding, their defacto leader (despite his senility), and once he had seen visions of a dark shadowed throne, where only the blood-stained boots of a concealed figure could be seen.
His friends Johnny and Zack and the brute Bartellom seemed to only notice his napping activity. But no matter the time or length of his sleep, the dreams bombarded his mind, strong and overwhelming. He had done his best to ignore it; he had gotten rather good at the same kind of process for avoiding nightmares as a kid. Heâd simply tell his dream-self that he didnât want to participate in whatever horror-building suspense his mind had concocted. More often than not, his dream complied, allowing him to âsteerâ into a more light-hearted direction.
But these were different, far more vivid than any dreams he could remember, and they had an uncanny projection of reality in them. The only thing that he could compare it to was his last dream in the hospital, the night they had left Earth and were transported to Endland. It was hard to believe that had only been a few short days ago, but that could have been from his lack of sleep. Everything in the dreams felt alive, conscious, and purposeful.
The scenery, the conversation, the mannerisms; it all reflected real life so accurately that it was difficult for Bryce to know he was dreaming at all. He had already thought he was awake only to find it was a false reality, which was increasingly disturbing and made waking extremely jarring. The sleepless nights had strung together, and now he took every chance he could to rest his eyes and collect small snippets of rest before his dreams took hold. Bryce had only meant to sit and relax as Walding attempted to regain his bearings in the thick trees for the thousandth time. But sleep came fast, and the dreams right behind it.
He smiled disarmingly to Janeph, whose hand rested gently on his shoulder. âI donât think youâre digging deep enough, J. If I have to smell another poop hole, I think Iâm going to lose my mind,â Bryce mocked. âCanât you walk further away to do your business or something?â
âYou want the boy to lose his way again?â Walding interjected, breaking from the conversation he was having with himself a few feet away. The old man was entirely serious, and his wild blue eyes pierced Bryce with warning. âHeâs the reason weâre as lost as we are now! Chasing the poor fool all through the trees for half a day!â
âWe certainly wouldnât want to go through that again,â Janeph laughed softly, brushing her black braid back over her shoulder. It was her genuine good-natured laugh, and Bryce was happy to hear it; she had been more anxious than he remembered her being when she was undercover as a nurse in the hospital. She stood and returned next to Walding, offering a small comforting pat to Bryceâs shoulder as she left him.
She and Walding had been arguing about the best path as Walding had grown increasingly uncertain as to the exact location of the hidden temple he was so inclined to visit. He continued to insist it was in the immediate area, even after having to track Johnny through the trees the other day, but it was clear Janeph was losing faith and patience in his ability to locate it. Both her and Bartellom were ragged; their last week or so had been a non-stop adventure, from the Hunt on Earth, to their midnight ride to Eislark to meet the boys, to their current escape through the trees. All while still dealing with the injuries sustained against Jamesett in the hospital.
âOh, come on gramps, we were lost before I got lost!â Johnny snapped back with a laugh. âYouâre seriously going to put that on me? I try to be nice and distance myself from camp; I get blamed for getting us lost. I try not to get lost by staying nearby; I get blamed for smelling up camp. Honestly, what do you people want from me?â
âHow about donât get lost, and donât stink up camp?â Zack chuckled, enjoying Johnnyâs faux over-reaction as he leaned back against a tree near Bartellom. âOr is that too much to ask?â
âYes, Zack, that is in fact too much to ask.â
âEnough,â Bartellom interrupted before the argument could continue. âItâs best for Johnny to stay near in case of trouble; we were lucky we didnât run into anyone searching for us while we were searching for him.â
âYes,â Janeph added. âThe longer we are in the open, the more opportunity for someone to stumble upon us.â Her face had shifted from concern for Bryce back to a frazzled parent, her stress worn plainly. She was well past the point of caring that everyone could see it so openly and was evidently without the energy to hide it even if she had wanted to. The boys had rambled incessantly the entire trek, but even more troublesome was Walding, in his own unique childlike manner, and keeping him corralled was proving far more difficult than she had anticipated.
âThanks Jan, but honestly, I think weâre super-duper lost. Like âDavey Crocket couldnât even find usâ type of lost.â
âWe are not lost!â Walding cried as he waved his arms through the air. âIt is here, in the Narrow Woods!â
Johnny waited a moment, as if the temple might suddenly appear out of the trees before them. âFirst off, false. The temple is not here. Second off, these woods are just a bunch of trees gramps. Janâs been saying that since day one, thereâs nothing special around here.â
âWalding, I know you say you know where we are, but I think maybe itâs time for Jan to give some input,â Bartellom said as he pulled a small set of roots from the ground and drank from the surprising amount of water that dripped from them. Zack eagerly sat up from his resting post and moved next to him, and the barbarian happily shared the drink with the boy.
âYou know thatâs a good point big-B, weâre not technically lost. In fact, youâre never lost because youâre always somewhere, or so they say. But weâre also not where we want to be. Hmm,â Johnny crossed his arms and put one hand to his chin, pondering his own statement.
âSo, weâre more misplaced than lost?â Bryce ventured, trying not to laugh at his friend.
âExactly! Weâre just misplaced! Man, we should write a book or something.â
âI can navigate us out of these woods without a problem,â Janeph said mildly, bringing the focus back to Walding and doing her best not to sound boastful, âBut then we will be without the temple that Walding so requires us to visit. And not finding it, evidently, is out of the question.â
âIt is indeed out of the question! We must locate the temple so that we can complete the connection once Geaspar and Lesara activate the Beacon!â
âYea, I donât know what that means but is there anything we can do to help?â Bryce asked, rubbing his eyes now that had mostly awoken. âIs there like, a landmark or something to look for?â
âMy boy, if there were landmarks, it wouldnât be a secret temple,â Walding said with a straight face. Johnny busted out laughing, as did Zack. Bryce punched Johnnyâs arm hard, putting an end to it, which in turn caused Bartellom to laugh.
âIf there are no landmarks, then what exactly are we looking for, Walding?â the big man asked in support of Bryceâs original question.
Walding huffed with unrestrained annoyance, âWell I suppose it is a sort of landmark, but it will only look mildly out of place.â Bartellom and Bryce looked skeptically toward each other. âI told you: I will know it when I see it! But if you must know itâs a dead looking patch of trees. We must be close now. Although who knows what it may look like after all these years being left to the will of the forest.â
âDead trees?â Bartellom questioned aloud, âWalding, trees die in the forest all the time, how is that anything to look for?â
âI will know it when I see it! It is unmistakable, a twisted patch of grey amongst the green. We are close, I can feel it.â
Janeph sighed deeply but Johnny jumped in the air with glee. âOh, no way! I know where to go! I saw them in the distance when I was taking care of my business!â
âJohnny, please, not now,â Janeph said, rubbing her forehead with an agitated hand. âYour last epiphany led us to âthe coolest mushroom in Endland,â which unfortunately was rather ordinary in every attribute imaginable and was not even edible.â
âForget the mushroom! Although I stand by how cool that thing was. Do you remember those giant flies around it too! And then I saved one from that spider web! But that doesnât matter!â he said in an all-to-similar Walding manner as he focused intently to stay on topic. âSeriously! I saw this big thicket of leafless grey trees near my deuce hole! Come on, this way!â He took off back into the woods in the direction of his restroom break, not waiting in the slightest to see if anyone was following him.
âWait, boy!â Walding called in futility as the boy ran quickly away from the group. Bartellom was first in pursuit, followed by Bryce and the others, running to keep pace with Johnny as he weaved through the tree trunks.
âJohnny, there is no need to run!â Janeph called from the back of the group.
âYea, given the smell, it canât be too far!â Bryce yelled with a laugh to both Janeph and Johnny.
âYou there, identify yourselves, by order of Lord Grekory Belmar and the authority of Eislark!â An unfamiliar and semi-distant voice called from behind them. There was a clamoring out of sight and the faint sound of metal boots on forest foliage. Walding looked worriedly to Janeph as the group ran after the boy. They rounded a nearby outcropping, a 10-foot-tall swelling of land raised well above the rest of the rolling forest.
On the other side they approached a large overgrown patch of trees that Johnny had nearly reached, all of which were dead and twisted, their curving branches like thick vines, weaving through the grey and leafless towers. The sun shone down in the area, unobstructed by any canopy, but even given the sunlight, the ground of the patch was as dead and lifeless as the tall trunks that reached up toward the light. It looked as if a blight had taken the land, and the life had been sucked from the soil, leaving behind the wooden skeleton framework as the only proof that it had once lived at all. There was no clear path into or through it, and the group gathered just on its edge behind Johnny.
âI present to you, dead trees!â He said triumphantly with arms spread wide open.
âQuickly, into the outer portion!â Walding called as he pressed Johnny forward over a fallen log. He himself never stopped moving and leapt over the nearest grey log with surprising agility, ducked under another, and was quickly lost from sight. The rest of the group followed, taking proper hiding spots among the dead trees as the sound of the pursuing footsteps grew louder.
âHere, the tracks lead into the dead woods,â a voice called a short half minute later. Bryce risked a peek over the large log he hid behind. A Gull of Eislark, clad in the dark red armor, was peering intently into the trees as his fellow knights met him at the edge of the plot. Two, three, four, arrived and still more behind them. Bryce ducked his head and waited patiently. There were far too many eyes looking into the trees now to justify peeking any longer.
âPhontâs blessings to you if you follow them. I wonât step foot in that thicket.â A second voice came over, which was met with a series of laughs from the troupe.
âOh, poor little Rax, afraid of the trees, are we?â A third, older-sounding voice teased.
âYouâve heard what happened outside Eislark,â Rax replied. âYouâve heard that it was the Nightmother. The legends are more than just stories; darkness stirs in these Narrow Woods.â
âI heard what they wanted me to hear, spoon fed to us by Lord Grekory Belmar to hide what actually happened the day before those Chosen brats escaped.â
âOh, you know so much about it, do you?â Rax now teased back. âGo ahead, tell us what exactly happened? What happened to our brothers?â
âThose Chosen is what happened.â
The soft-spoken Rax now laughed, along with a few other Gull as the wind picked up around them, blowing briskly through the forest leaves. âChildren killed our Gull brothers in the woods? And very nearly Lady Janeph and, most notably, the Councilor Supreme himself? The wizard among wizards was nearly killed by children? Did you see the wounds? One was fully decapitated. Another run through his armor, front and back. This is not the work of children.â
âLegends like the Nightmother donât wield swords either, Rax. They were part of it, mark my words. I donât trust those Chosen boys for a moment. Not while they are supposedly with Walding Zarlorn, that traitorous fool, trotting about Endland being taught Phont knows what. Something odd happened in those woods, and them boys are at the heart of it, mark my words.â
âSomething happened alright. Something that doesnât mind openly attacking Eislark and her knights. Lord Belmar might be willing to spread falsehoods for his power, but thatâs not how Captain Mikel thinks. Heâd not openly lie to us and put his men in danger.â
âThe captainâs gone, Rax. Supposedly, he got sent off to Trillgrand on the Kingâs orders for helping those Chosen escape.â
âWherever he is, captain wouldnât lie to us.â
 âWeâre in the world of politics now,â the older sounding Gull chimed in. âNothing is what it seems. And our dear captain is as loyal to the Belmarsâ as a dog to his master. If Grekory told him to tell us a flock of butterflies killed our brothers, Mikel would say it without hesitation.â
There were some grumbles from the group, a majority disagreement in the sour opinions. The wind picked up around them again, blowing the trees and leaves of the canopy into heavy sways as the Gull grew silent. The wind whipped violently through the hollow, a morbid windchime in the otherwise silent forest. It intensified, blowing fast from the center of the dead patch of land, and a soft womanâs laugh whipped with it. Bryce felt his skin crawl. Zack and Janeph had only spoken briefly of the Nightmother and what happened in the woods that day. All Bryce really gathered from the few words that were said was that it had extensively unnerved both of them. The chattering of the dead wood in the air gave him a portentous feeling. He did not know what the Nightmother was, but he feared that he would soon know firsthand.
âWhat in Phontâs name is this,â the defiant Gull said aloud over the wind, yelling to his counterparts.
âDoesnât the child know his own mother?â A womanâs voice echoed through the breeze, the wind drowning most of it as static noise. âOr are these simply more Gull who need harvesting?â The wind howled hard, a blasting gust that snapped branches around them as the sound of metal armor onto green earth sounded with a thud. Bryce hunkered close to his cover as the wind pushed him against it and the woman cackled again.
âRun!â came one of the Gull voices. âThe Nightmother has come for us!â The knightâs feet stomped the ground as their footsteps scrambled and faded back in the direction they had come from. The wind thrashed as the laugh danced upon it, itâs notes muffled in the violent gale. And just as quickly as it started, the wind slowed and then stopped. The forest sounds again became audible around them once more. Bryce stood cautiously to look where the knights had been. There was nothing now, just empty woods.
He smiled and turned back to the dead trees, stepping over a large, felled log and nearly landing on Zack. He was lying in the fetal position with his ears covered and eyes slammed shut. Bryce adjusted his feet and stepped gently next to him, resting a hand on his back and giving him a shake. Zack jerked at the motion, wild fear in his completely white eyes. Bryce fell backward to his butt in surprise as Walding scampered through the trees and rested an old, wrinkled hand upon Zackâs forehead.
âBe at ease, boy, it was only a ruse,â the old man said with intense calm. Zack drooped the instant Waldingâs sentence left his lips, and Bryce felt all anxiety leave him as well. It was as if Waldingâs hand was a faucet, now turned on to allow intense peace to flow from it into the world. Janeph came up behind him smiling, but it swapped to worry as she knelt next to Zack. He sat up, confused but without the primal focus that Bryce saw just a moment ago.
âQuite a brilliant idea, milady,â Walding said as he removed his hand from Zackâs forehead. âThey bought every word.â
âThat was you?â Zack asked, the warmth returning to his eyes and face.
âIt was Walding and I, yes. I thought we might use some superstition to scare them off, but I did not think how it might affect you. Are you alright?â
âYeah, Iâm OK now,â he said standing up, purposefully covering his now blushed face with his shaggy hair, uncomfortable as always with being the center of any amount of attention. âI kind of lost it there.â
Walding watched him with discerning eyes as Bartellom and Johnny made their way to the group. âYes, we will have to work on that young master Zack. We mustnât allow fear to govern us so.â His old eyes softened and he smiled widely. âBut that is a lesson for another time, I think. First, letâs get out of sight and into the temple.â He made his way out of the dead wood and back to the greens of the surrounding forest as the others followed him.
âHere, Walding?â Bartellom asked as he surveyed the large swatch of dead forest, his forearms rippling as he clenched his fists. âA bad omen, this spot is. Not even animals tread this patch of land. Iâd much rather head to Trillgrand if Mikel is indeed imprisoned there.â
The old man brushed some of the dead twigs on the edge of the land with his short walking stick and peered back into the tangled mass. He smiled and straightened his back as he tapped the ground with his staff with enthusiasm.
âThis is it. I am quite certain.â
If youâre a fan of fantasy that feels both fresh and familiar, Fractured Sky by Nick McPherson delivers a captivating blend of modern-day adventure and otherworldly magic. This is the kind of book that makes you lose track of time, thanks to its quick wit, deep mystery, and high-stakes plot twists.
The story kicks off with Bryce, a perceptive but unassuming teen, and his adoptive parents, Marge and Walt, grappling with an unexpected collision of their ordinary lives and the extraordinary. Before long, Bryce and his friends are swept into the mystical world of Endland, where ancient ruins, enchanted forests, and ominous foes become the new normal. Guided by the eccentric yet brilliant Grandmaster Walding, the group takes on the role of the Chosen, destined to uncover secrets that could change their fatesâand the fate of Endland.
What stood out to me immediately was McPhersonâs knack for creating vivid, immersive settings. The eerie dead forests and overgrown ruins feel alive (or hauntingly lifeless), drawing you deeper into the mystery with every page. The banter between Bryce and his companions, especially the ever-quirky Johnny, strikes the perfect balance between lighthearted and heartfelt, making you care about their journey even when theyâre squabbling over poop holes.
But itâs not all laughs. The looming threat of Jamesett and his sinister allies casts a shadow over the story, and McPherson isnât afraid to let the stakes get dark and intense. These shifts from humor to tension work most of the time, though occasionally the transitions feel a bit jarring. Similarly, while the fast-paced lore and complex world-building are fascinating, they can sometimes leave you scrambling to catch up.
Despite these minor bumps, Fractured Sky is an absolute delight. Itâs the kind of book that makes you think, âJust one more chapter,â until suddenly itâs 2 a.m. If you loved the adventure and humor of Percy Jackson but crave the epic scope of The Wheel of Time, this is the perfect middle ground.
Iâd recommend Fractured Sky to anyone who enjoys coming-of-age tales, epic quests, and imaginative fantasy worlds. Whether youâre a teen just dipping your toes into the genre or a lifelong fantasy fan, this book offers something magical. You wonât regret stepping into Endlandâjust watch out for dead forests.