Rosa and the Graven Kings - A Spiritual Warfare Novella

Foreword

My name is Jasmine-yes, I know, what a beautiful name. Everyone calls me Rosa because I used to tend red roses in my backyard garden when I was younger. Come to think of it, my favorite color is red. How neat is that? Okay, well-I never figured out my favorite color until I was fifteen.

Embarrassing.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you a little bit about where I live before you dive head-first into this story. So . . . (tapping foot and thinking hard) . . . where should I begin? I guess I can start by saying that I live somewhere you'll never ever live anytime now or in the future. Was that harsh? Sorry. But I live in a place called Rahu. The name is Estonian for peace. It's surrounded by thick walls made of stones. My dad calls it ashier-some strange masonry word. Think of it like a castle. And yes, my town has battlements on top of towers, which is so cool! Although . . . we've never had to use them on any foes. I'm happy and sad about that because it would have been neat to battle enemies . . . never mind. I'll keep that to myself. However, it's nice to sit up there and watch the view, spin yarn with my friends, or even take photos, which I love indeed.

Speaking of the view, we have a lovely one! For a few miles is nothing but green grass, flowers, oak, birch, and pine trees, wild deer and squirrels, ponds, and-oh!-just full of life! Sadly, this view only goes for a few miles. Once you pass all that lush, then comes barren soil. Big and small rocks. Pebbles. Orangeish colored sand. Withered bushes.

Death. Dare I say.

It looks like a desert, but it's a little bit different. In fact, oak trees grow out there. You know. Dead ones. And there's a trail you can travel on that's been there for many years.

Why is it so deathly? Hard to say. I can't get analytical like some historians. But let me tell you: it's been like that for ages, ever since the town was built, and nobody really knows why. All their research is still controversial.

And for your information, there are rattlesnakes and scorpions, too. (Call me weird, but I have a liking for 'some' snakes like the rattlers. He-he. Except for when they wish to eat me.)

Enough of that. What's next? Aha. Let me tell you about the Rahu Arch Bridge. This bridge stretches from the city's huge entrance gate, crosses a calm river, and then takes you into all that lush I was talking about. It's fun to travel at night because of all the lights. It's so peaceful. So heavenly, shall I say. It's made of the same stones as the wall, and it has a little arch in the center, so it's not all flat and boring.

Okay, that's the walls, but what about the inside? Well, get this: cobblestone roads, stone houses with red slate roof work; people travel on horseback, camels, wagons, scooters, motorbikes, and bicycles. Homes are close together; you can hear your neighbors arguing, smell their dinner, and even see their TV. Yeah, cool. Dangerous at times but cool. The inside of most houses are stones, but I've heard that other cities around us have drywall.

(The author of my story wanted to put me in a land that was mixed with modern and old-style living. So, we don't have anything like minivans or sports cars. It's like: we live in King David's city and travel on animals, but we also have laptops, video games, printers, and 4G. Yes, I do communicate with my author, but I still set the rules, and he's responsible for writing them correctly. Am I right, Dante? We go back and forth.)

Anyway, back to explaining the town.

Some roads are narrow, even for a scooter, but others are big. It's not like streets: it's more like a 'drive how you want to' kinda thing or a 'hit who you wish' style game. Stupid, but that's where I grew up, and I've learned how to deal with it. And I couldn't ask for anything better.

So, I guess that sums it up.

Oh, but one more thing: we get our food and supplies from importers and traders from other cities far away, which are then sold to shops. (In fact, most shops are indie-owned.)

We have a king named Sterling O'my, and he's just as-ahem-bad as any other person in my world, not that people in Rahu are bad. And does that name sound strange to anybody else? Who gives . . . never mind.

And finally, I've heard word about what's past all that 'death road.' They say there's more death, a giant woodland somewhere, a gulch, and some really beautiful mountains further away. It would be nice to see some of the sights, but I can't bear traveling on the long boring road to find out. But I have this feeling that I'll experience it soon. Maybe sooner than I think.

Especially when Dante is writing my story.

Hump.