The War of Majesty Peak by Ash Knight (book club suggestions .TXT) 📕

Chapter 1


Gunshots could've been heard from miles around, along with the screams. Screams of the innocent, screams of the guilty, and screams of all statures inbetween. The battle had lasted years and years. But in the end, it was all for nothing. The great battle of Majesty is what everyone called it. What was so great about it? The fear of being the next to hit the ground? The guilt that came after the killling? The adrenaline of shooting the gun? What was it?
Lord only knows, Becca thought as she set her books on the check out desk in front of the librarian.
Becca's class was going to waste an entire two months studying and writing, about the 'oh so great battle.' Everyone else was excited, they all knew the story, so it was an entire two months of bird course.
Becca hated it. She didn't she the point. Why go messing around and poking at a story about a war that was the cause of so much turmoil? Why couldn't the new history teacher just leave it be? Hundreds dies in the fruitless battle of Majesty, what was so interesting about it? Yes, it was a war. Yes, it went down in history. So what! If the new teacher was so interested in the story, why not just google it?
"Here you go, Becca. Remember, two weeks, then they have to come back." Mrs. Dole said. She was a little over seventy but didn't care, and came down to open the library at five a.m. every morning and close at six thirty p.m. every night. Today her silver gray hair was up in a tight bun on top of her head, and she wore a red, floral print dress, a long string of pearls hung from her neck. And, she was the closest thing to a grandmother Becca would ever get.
When Becca was younger her mother and father had died in a car accident. She was only three at the time, so she didn't remember them. After the crash, she had been put in custody of her Aunt and Uncle,on her fathers side. Every day she prayed that her father wasn't anything like her Uncle.
"Sure thing, Mrs. Dole." She said with a small smile, wincing slightly when the movement stung her black eye, which was hidden behind her sunglasses.
Her Uncle hadn't liked her grade on her math test.
She walked out the door, walking quickly with a ducked head. She didn't have any friends, so she wasn't worried about getting held up. What she was worried about, was that cousin, Jimmy, would show up. Jimmy was twenty seven, with summer blue eyes, and thicky, curly, golden blond hair. For eight years now Jimmy had been living on his own only a few blocks from the sheriff's office, Jimmy was a cop. But here in Majesy, cops were called Deputies and the Chief was called the Sheriff. For eight years now, his father had had a short temper with both his wife, and Becca. Jimmy didn't like it. The ;ast time his father had hit Becca, he had found her in the park crying. She'd had bruises all over her arms, and her left jaw was swollen and discolored. Jimmy had said he was going to tell the Sheriff, but Becca had talked him out of it. Promising to go to the Sheriff if her Uncle did it again, but, she had crossed her fingers behind her back.
Who would have believed her? He was the Mayors' nephew! The Sheriff would laugh in her face before throwing the Mayors' nephew in jail, and Uncle Herb knew it. He knew that was the only reason he even got away with it.
Walking with her head down, she didn't she the boy she collided, her head to his chest, with. Looking up, she could have sworn she was staring at some kind of dark angel. He was gorgeous. He had raven dark hair, cut short, but still casual and messy, in a good way, dark brown eyes, he was tall, and built. The guy looked like he could bench two twenty without breaking a sweat, but he wasn't bulking. He stared down at her, suprised, for a moment.
Then he casually offered her his hand and helped her pick up her books. He smiled at her, a dimple playing hide and seek on his left cheek.
"Sorry, guess I wasn't watching where I was going." He said, his voice that of an angels.
"No. It was my fault...I wasn't watching where I was going. Sorry." She said sheepishly, turning her head down again.
"Ok, if you say so." He said, a hint of dark amusement entering his amazing gaze. "So, your a light reader. Research on some kind of war as far as I can tell."
"Yes, its for school. Are you knew?" She asked, looking up at him.
"Yep, just moved in today."
"Cool, where'd you move into at? I haven't seen any moving vans lately."
"Oh, we moved out. Closer to the forest, you know?"
"Oh, cool. Well, I gotta go. See you around?"
"You sure will."
With that she walked away. Not looking back as she rounded a corner and dissapered from his view.


And a lovely view it was at that, Gage thought, as she dissapered, with that cute little butt of her, around the corner. She had been quite pretty, with dark, wavy, auburn hair, and dark pink lips. Her face was small and pretty, with a pert little nose, a small forehead, curvy andfull lips, and a sprinkle of golden freckles over her nose. Her dark sunglasses had concealed her eyes.
She wasn't really his type, but he couldn't deny that she was pretty. He might even try a turn in that direction during his stay here. But right now he had buisness to do. Playing with the girl would have to wait. Right now, he needed to find the one by the name of Jim Cavera.
He made his way to the police station and walked calmly throught the door. The secretary gave him one look and prepared for trouble. He figured it served him right, walking into a police station decked out entirly in black, probably looking like death except for his light tan.
"Can I help you, sir?" The secretary asked, staring at him hard through her hornrim glasses.
"Yes, thank you. I was looking for a Jim Cavera, do you know where he might be?" Gage asked, throwing her one of his lopsided smiles. Hoping to charm her a little if nessicary.
"Oh, Jimmy? He's in his office, but I can buzz him for you." She said, looking slightly flustered. Gage smiled again, this time it was a self congratulatory smile.
"Jimmy," She said into the speaker at her desk "There's a Mr. ..." She trailed off in speculation.
"Sanders, Gage Sanders." He said, smiling in irony at the borrowed line.
"Mr. Sanders out here looking for you. Can he come on back?"
"Sure, send him over. Thanks Betty." The intercom said.
"No problem Jimmy, anything for you." She said, her voice getting a little wistful. "Just go on back, down the hall and to the left." She told Gage.
Without another word he left, walking the way he was told. He knocked lightly on the door and opened, not waiting for an answer. He entered the room, closing the door behind him. Before him sat a man, probably in his late twenties, blond hair, blue eyes, and a tall, lean, build. He held a folder in his hands, but sat it down when he heard the door open and close.
"You Cavera?" Gage asked.
"Yep, what can I do for you kid?" Jim Cavera asked, looking up and starting when he recognized Gage's features. His high cheekbones, strong jaw, stuborn chin, black hair, and straight nose, had been his fathers. The only features of his mother that he had was her eyes. A deep brown, almost like a dark, rich, chocolate.
"I was counting on that." Gage said as Jim's startled look dissapered and he no longer looked as if he had seen a ghost. Taking delight in the nervous and scared look in Jim's eyes.
"Sanders. I knew that name sounded familiar. You can tell your father-"
"No. I can't tell my father anything. He's dead, and unless you have a Wiji board, then we might as well forget that possability.
"Dead! Roy's dead?" Jim exclaimed in a shocked voice.
"Yep, and...much as I hate to admit it, I need your help. You used to work for my father, you know what he was. Well, his 'pals' want me to take over his little buisness. I don't want to do it, but they have a little bit of leverage on their side. I don't help them, they kill my brother and sister. I help them, and I risk ending up in the slammer. You helped my dad out of it a little while back. Now, as his son, I need you to help me stay out of it." Gage said, not looking directly into the eyes of the man in front of him, his pride disregarding anything other than itsself.
"Roy's dead," Jim huffed. "And you need my help. To stay out of the mess he made. Figures."
"If you can help me out of it, I'll owe you man. I'll owe you the world on a silver platter. But I need your help first."
"Look, kid, your old man, he was a good guy, but...I don't think I can risk my job again."
"I'm not asking you to risk anything. All I want, is a fresh start. A fresh start for my baby brother and sister, a fresh start for me." Gage said, choking a little at the thought of how happy Hailey and Mark would be if they could all have a fresh start.
"I don't know kid..."
"Look man," Gage was finally able to look