by Jack Dey
Reader Comments and Reviews for Jack Dey's Books
"Mahina is a fantastic tale involving multiple storylines from both historical times and the present… beautiful and complex, like the threads of fine tapestry… a memorable and well told story, full of adventure and romance… Someone should turn this book into a motion picture. You should read the book." Kathy Olson
"Paradise Warrior is an amazing book. It makes you laugh, cry and reflect. It is a book that when you finish you wonder about life around you. God’s plan in our life... amazing gift…" Fernando M.
"Mahina... A great first novel by Jack Dey. Can’t wait for the next!" Gary James
"MAHiNA... engaging and informative. It is hard to put down a novel when the characters are intriguing and the storyline incorporates a variety of threads. Aunty Rosa was the one character that I was especially drawn to; her wisdom and sensitivity were authentic and endearing... And the ending was superbly done; tying in each of the real life issues in a clever and perceptive way." Susan
“…I cry & I laugh & I don’t want to put my book down… I loved reading “Mahina” on my iPad…. BUT…. I absolutely LOVE having it in BOOK FORM now…. to have & to hold…. forever mine!" Gwennie Simpson
“...Mahina... Finished!!!!!! Loved it!!!!!” Marie
"Mahina is a brilliant novel that I’ve read with great pleasure The Author is very smart to describe the human heart in his various characters. I enjoyed also how sincere faith and love for God are lived by some of them. My favorite, Aunty Rosa is especially appealing; it really makes you want to meet her!" Dominique
"...Mahina. The story draws you in chapter by chapter. Thoroughly enjoyed it..." Craig
"...amazing, delightful, absolutely intriguing, WONDERFUL book... PARADISE WARRIOR!!! I can't put it down..." Gwennie Simpson
“I've finished THAT BOOK and will now have to do something constructive!!!... if book number three is as riveting as the other two, I will need pulse-reducing medication. I can't believe the depth of all that he was able to bring in to that story!!! (I'm thinking that I will have to stick to “Little Women” and “Heidi” in future.)” Maureen
"Paradise Warrior... You certainly know how to keep the reader hanging for more! Great work! I’m going to read it again!" Corinne
"...Paradise Warrior! The Author is able once again to describe how God works and change the lives of those who put their trust in Him... thrilling fiction. It’s quite impossible to close the book before the end. And when I finished... I read it a second time to enjoy even more all its subtleties, this for the first time in my life..." Dominique
"...Aunt Tabbie’s Wings... once you start, you won’t want to put it down." Elspeth
"...Aunt Tabbie's Wings… loved it so much... I could not put it down..." Trudy R.
“I was up reading half the night last night…” Kathy
*~*~*~*
PARADISE WARRIOR
by
JACK DEY
*~*~*~*
PUBLISHED BY:
COPYRIGHT 2014-2015 C.D. & A.R. Day
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means–electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherwise–except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the owner of the copyright.
Original Cover Design: C.D. & A.R. Day
Cover illustration: Rachel James
This book is also available in print.
ISBN: 9780992404017
(paperback)
For information please contact:
URL: https://www.jackdey.com
Email: [email protected]
*~*~*~*
Dedicated to: Papa
For Your Honour and Your Glory
*~*~*~*
Table of Contents
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 20
Chapter 25
Chapter 30
Chapter 35
Chapter 40
Chapter 45
Chapter 50
Chapter 55
Chapter 60
Chapter 65
Chapter 70
Author's Note
About the Author
Connect with Jack
Discover Other Books by Jack Dey
Exclusive Preview – Mahina by Jack Dey
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Exclusive Preview – The Secrets of Black Dean Lighthouse by Jack Dey
Exclusive Preview – The Legend of Ataneq Nanuq by Jack Dey
*~*~*~*
Important Note from Jack
Paradise Warrior is designed for people who enjoy a cryptic mystery and is not a story for the faint hearted. Its many twists and turns will leave you guessing as one by one, each character paints another small, but vital and seemingly unrelated part to the final plot. If you are a reader who is intent on divulging the plot by reading the last page first, then Paradise Warrior will confuse and frustrate you. I make no apology for this. The reader who perseveres and takes the time to relax and roll with the punches to the end, will be rewarded with a rich, unforgettable journey and hopefully, it will leave you with burning questions that will demand an answer.
This novel is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, incidences, places or events, past or present, is purely coincidental. Poetic licence has been taken in this fiction.
I hope you will enjoy reading it, as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
Jack Dey
*~*~*~*
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the following for their tireless support in bringing Paradise Warrior from a thought to a finished work.
Papa God, for allowing me to be a pencil in His hand.
My wife, the Editor, for turning my full stops into commas, encouraging me to keep going and using words like 'disturbing' to keep me on track. Constantly filling my cup with tea and love.
My Assistant Editor, the very charismatic Phil Hollett, for never letting me get away with anything.
The Art Department, the very talented and beautiful Rachel James, for her cover illustration.
The ever vigilant prayer team.
Simon, for allowing me to borrow his identity and turn him into a character in Paradise Warrior. Don't give up looking for your Carissa, mate.
Finally, you, the reader. May you never forget the journey you are about to take and judge everything against what Papa tells you.
Jack
*~*~*~*
PARADISE WARRIOR
*~*~*~*
Chapter 1
Mendacante rocketed skyward, his tiny frame blurring as he sped high above the community. Two Yellow Lights were close on his tail, grasping at the air as he slipped out of their reach. Below, groups of people gathered and pointed skyward, marvelling at the sight. He corkscrewed backwards and dived, gathering speed as he plummeted towards the ground. The Yellow Lights, although bigger than he, were caught off guard by his manoeuvre and overshot him. Incensed by Mendacante's tactic, they threw themselves at a blinding rate towards the little Grey Light, gathering speed and closing the gap. Just as Mendacante was about to hit the ground and within reach of the Yellow Lights, he suddenly shot sideways and the Yellow Lights disappeared into an explosion of colour, ploughing headlong into the ground.
"Daydreaming again, little Grey?" came a gruff voice beside him, shaking him from his pleasurable thoughts. "How do you think you are going to earn your colour, if all you do is shirk your training?!"
Mendacante recognised the owner of the voice. It was his drill sergeant. He wore his yellow and blue coloured light proudly, shining all around him like a light through a prism. The superior being made sure his subordinates understood they were not yet worthy of the prestige that came with colour.
"I..I was just going through some tactical procedures in my mind, sir."
"Report to the colonnade and join your platoon. You will see what awaits those who do well."
Mendacante made his way slowly to the colonnade. His dream of becoming a hero and enjoying the adoration that came with colour seemed further away than ever, after the rebuff from his commander. He wondered if he would ever make it out of the Grey Lights, the lowest in the ranks of the Army of The King. He brightened when he remembered that his friend, Detanyun, was amongst those being honoured today. He momentarily forgot about his troubles and hurried to join the other Grey Lights gathered around the great structure.
An impressive throng assembled around the place of honour, each in their respective colours and each in their ascending ranks. There were the Grey Lights at the back; next were the Yellow Lights; then the Blue Lights; Green Lights; and finally, the Red Lights at the front. The platoon commanders wore a base light of red, interspersed with bands of coloured light. The higher the rank, the more coloured bands.
When a warrior did well in his training, he was honoured at the colonnade and depending on his achievements, was assigned a higher coloured light. The newly honoured warrior was then given an assignment for The King, to prove himself worthy and maybe earn a coloured band if he did well in his assignment. Every warrior knew the assignment meant crossing over through the door in the dimensions that led into the Tempter's kingdom and the confines of four dimensions. Being chosen for dimensionalism was a distinguished honour, but it carried terrible dangers, restrictions and extreme temptations to indulge in the ways of the creatures of the earth.
In the legends of the phenomenal battles of Heaven, it is said that Lucifer, the impressive Fallen One, had led a revolt against The King and was thrown out by the High Prince Michael. When Lucifer fell, he took a third of the warriors with him and in so doing, they lost their light and their honour, never to return. Dwelling forever in a place caught between dimensions, in an eternity of darkness, these fallen warriors roamed the dimensions often, finding entry points into the human world when invited by humans looking for supernatural power. Once indwelling a human host, they could command terrific power and significant evil in the world using the host.
The Son of The Great King Himself was the only one to take on four dimensions, become human and not indulge in the Tempter's kingdom. He was adorned with pure white light, an honour reserved only for the greatest warrior. He came back scarred and disfigured, beaten beyond recognition from His battle, but He succeeded in releasing the chosen ones from the captives of the Tempter's kingdom.
There were rumours among the ranks of an ensuing battle, soon to take place, where The Great King would send His Son back to the earth, to rid it of the Tempter, judge the creatures identified by the Tempter's mark, and do away with the restrictions of the four dimensions, forever.
Today however, there were murmurings that the impressive warrior, Michael, was going to be present, to honour a special warrior and assign him a dangerous mission. This was the stuff of dreams, the epitome of every warrior's desire, to be honoured by the prodigious and humble warrior prince. From his distant position among the Grey Lights, Mendacante could see his friend proudly walk out into the middle of the colonnade with three other warriors. Detanyun's light shone a brilliant yellow among the three other Blue Lights.
Although Detanyun was a rank above Mendacante, he by no means treated Mendacante as if he was inferior. In fact, Detanyun had tried to coach the little Grey Light in all forms of combat, but giving up as the little Grey stumbled over, tripping on himself. However, Detanyun became aware of Mendacante’s ability to plan a battle strategy that left even his wiry skills stretched to the limit and trapped in an embarrassing defeat. As Detanyun became hopelessly ensnared in Mendacante’s trap, the sly little Grey would excitedly proclaim, "…and check mate!" his crooked little smile evidence that he was enjoying Detanyun’s embarrassment. Though they were worlds apart in capability, their friendship was strong. For many years, they had grown together in the Grey Light platoon, until Detanyun had been honoured and moved up a rank. Now Mendacante spent most of his time dodging the drill sergeant and dreaming of glory.
A sudden 'aww' rumbled through the colonnade. A huge figure appeared, dressed in red light with six bars of colour, one on top of the other and topped off with a band of white light. Michael had made his entry and the gathering fell silent at the sight of the majestic warrior, while Michael's booming voice echoed across the gathering.
"Fellow servants of The King, messengers and protectors of the chosen ones, we have come together to honour the achievements of these, your brother warriors. Through their impressive performance, training as warriors of The King, they have been chosen to represent Him in a commando assignment behind enemy lines. Their ability to carry out their assignment is imperative, to set the ground work for the plans of the next, looming battle against the Fallen Ones."
Michael then walked up to the four warriors, dwarfed in his presence and nodded toward each one. The three Blue Lights immediately turned green and the warriors smiled in appreciation to Michael, obviously proud of their promotion. Detanyun gazed up toward the great warrior and Michael smiled directly at him. Detanyun's Yellow Light turned red, sending a ripple of disbelief through the gathering. Michael reached down and handed Detanyun a medallion, a small gold circle, encircling a six-sided star on a chain. The medallion awarded to The King's elite warriors.
Mendacante broke protocol and cheered from the ranks of the Grey Lights and was immediately castigated by his fellow Greys for drawing attention to them. He didn't care. He was living his dream through his friend. Michael and Detanyun glanced towards the direction of the ruckus and Detanyun smiled. He couldn't see Mendacante, but he knew his voice.
Michael then handed Detanyun a red folder, with the star emblem on the front. He commended the four warriors and made his way determinedly back to stand in the presence of The King.
*~*~*~*
Mendacante buzzed around Detanyun like a fly attracted to a dead carcass, while Detanyun sat with his back against a tree, staring dejectedly at the folder lying in his lap. Mendacante's euphoria at his friend's promotion to a Red Light warrior and his acceptance as a member of the special Forces suddenly ceased, as he surveyed his friend's downcast features.
"What's wrong, Detanyun?" Mendacante asked with concern.
"My assignment is to watch over a baby Earth girl," Detanyun replied disappointedly, "an assignment any other colour, including you, could do. Am I to be a babysitter after many years of intensive training? And now the Prince chooses to embarrass me, with this."
Mendacante sat next to his friend and thought for a while. "This baby must be very important if she is to be assigned a Special Forces Red Light. I am sure there is more to the story, otherwise the Prince would have chosen someone else."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, Mendacante."
"When does your mission start?"
"Tomorrow. Michael will open the dimensions for me to cross over, first thing in the morning."
"Are you scared?"
"No, just a bit disappointed."
*~*~*~*
Gabriel, who also stands in the presence of The King, met Michael at the entrance to the throne room. "How did he take it, Michael?"
"As expected. He thinks we are sending him in as a baby sitter," Michael responded.
Gabriel waited for a moment and then spoke again. "The King wants to give him the he
art of a human as soon as he crosses over," Gabriel whispered, fearing for Detanyun.
"The heart of a human?! That’s a heavy load for any warrior to carry," Michael answered, sharing Gabriel’s concern.
Michael thought for a while. "The King is the Great Wise One. He sees things from every angle, at every moment in time. He must have a plan, Gabriel."
*~*~*~*
Detanyun stood expectantly by the tree that marked the opening to the four dimensions. It was early morning and as he searched the surroundings, he could see Michael's huge outline approaching, moving swiftly towards him.
*~*~*~*
Concern gripped Michael as he drew near the tree to the dimensions and Detanyun waiting nearby. He knew the warrior wouldn't have any of his heavenly assets on Earth and for his own safety and the success of his mission, his identity would be masked while operating deep inside enemy territory.
Michael approached the tree and commanded the dimensions to open.
Mendacante stood nearby, hiding, hoping to stay out of sight but also wanting to see his best friend leave. A doorway appeared and Detanyun stepped towards it. Mendacante glanced at the place where Detanyun had been sitting and saw his medallion lying there. He rushed in and scooped it up and then sped towards Detanyun. Just as he was about to hand it over, the dimension closed and both Detanyun and Mendacante tumbled through.
Michael watched the scene unfold in front of him and then spoke softly to himself, "So this is the plan of The King."
*~*~*~*
Chapter 2
Yvette Lawrence stood gazing down at the dimly lit city street from her fifth floor hotel room window. It had been snowing all day and she hoped her flight back home to Sydney wouldn’t be cancelled. She was tired and it seemed her latest trip to Chicago would result in yet another dead end and another crushing disappointment. As she stared absentmindedly through the foggy window, a small voice beside her startled her.