Jamestown's Deliverance
The Kairos Makers Book 2
by C.A. Gray
Genre: Children's Adventure
Fresh from their brief adventure to colonial times, Gabe, Elizabeth, and Marty receive their next summons from Thrylos, warning them that this will be a longer adventure, and to pack appropriately. Not knowing what ‘longer’ means, the kids do as they’re told, and arrive on a deserted island in 1609, just in time to see a shipwreck on the reefs!
It turns out that the ship is called the Sea Venture, and it was originally bound for the colony of Jamestown, Virginia. The deserted island is called Bermuda, reputed at the time to be surrounded by monsters. All the passengers of the Sea Venture survived the wreck, including one dog whom Elizabeth happily adopts, but the ship itself did not. Gabe, Elizabeth, and Marty find themselves stranded with the would-be settlers as they build two new ships and learn to survive off the land.
Nine months later, when the kids are really starting to wonder what they’re doing there, they finally set sail in the new vessels for Jamestown—only to find that the remaining settlers there are at death’s door! The kids learn from a mysterious prophetess that a resupply ship from England is on the way. But the crew of the original Sea Venture doesn’t know this; they consider the colony a lost cause, and they are on the verge of returning to England and letting it fail. Can Gabe, Elizabeth, and Marty convince them to just hang on in Jamestown for a few more days, even when it looks like all is lost?
forearm with the other. Gabe squished his suitcase between his legs, since he needed both hands
free to tap the diamond on the ornate golden watch that Thrylos had given him. Then he popped
open the cover and briefly admired the diamond at the twelve o’clock position.
“All right, on three,” Gabe said. “One, two… three!”
Gabe felt a sucking sensation at his navel, along with a jolt, even though at the same time
he didn’t seem to move at all. The first thing he noticed was how bright it was.
Elizabeth gasped, and then shrieked, “Look! Gabe, look!”
Gabe did look, but it took his eyes a second to adjust to the blinding sunlight. Then he
saw that they were standing on a powdery beach. The sand glinted with a slight pinkish hue, and
the water—
“Whoa,” Marty murmured, dropping his backpack to the sand and walking toward it in
amazement. “I didn’t know blue came that blue!”
“Seriously,” Gabe agreed, shaking his head in amazement. Elizabeth had already run to
the water’s edge, cupping it in her hands and letting it flow throw her fingers with a blissful look
on her face. The contrast between the perfect, clear turquoise water and the pink sand boggled
Gabe’s mind. He didn’t realize that places like this actually existed.
Then suddenly it occurred to him that aside from the sound of the waves, it was eerily
silent here. Where were all the families having picnics and playing in the water? He turned
around to look at the lush tropical vegetation behind him. There were no signs of civilization
whatsoever.
“Is this… a desert island?” he asked aloud, to no one in particular. He felt a sudden stab
of fear, which was completely irrational. He still had the watch, didn’t he? If worst came to
worst, they could just go back home again anytime.
When Gabe turned around he found that both Elizabeth and Marty had stooped into the
sand to unzip their suitcases, and were rummaging around to find their bathing suits. He hurried
back to join them, and one by one they went into the jungle to change. Elizabeth emerged again
in her favorite black swimsuit. Marty wore red board shorts, but kept his t-shirt on. Despite all
his bluster, Gabe knew he was really sensitive about his weight. It wasn’t that Marty was fat,
only pudgy and unathletic. But unkind teasing from classmates had made him ashamed that he
wasn’t trim and muscular like Timo, or even slim like Gabe.
As for Gabe, he hurried into the jungle and quickly changed into his blue tropical print
swimming trunks, debating as he returned to the other two whether or not to leave his shoes on in
the water. They were the only pair he had, and he didn’t want to get them soaked with sea water.
On the other hand, though, the washed up sea shells might cut his feet if he didn’t wear them. He
decided that he would take off his socks and wear the shoes only.
Once ready, the children ran for the beautiful blue water and the pure white sand. The
water was cool and salty. They laughed and bobbed among the waves. Gabe didn’t know when
he’d had such a wonderful time.
“What are we doing here?” asked Gabe when they finally threw themselves on the sand
to rest. It was wonderful to play, but surely there was more to this adventure?
“Uh,” said Marty, pointing a short distance out to sea. “Probably helping them.”
Gabe turned, following the direction of Marty’s finger, and gasped. An enormous ship
dashed upon the reef of a shallow ocean floor and broke into splinters, right before their eyes.
Christmas Night 1776
The Kairos Makers Book 1
Ten year old Gabriel Jordan always wanted to be a magician. He just isn’t very good at it. His godmother writes to a mysterious traveling magician named Thrylos and begs him to visit Gabe, just to encourage him. To her surprise and Gabe’s, Thrylos does so—only it turns out that Thrylos doesn’t just do “magic tricks.” He’s a real magician, and he offers Gabe a magical adventure—any adventure—of his choice.
Gabe thinks long and hard about this. Because Gabe’s godparents adopted him when he lost his mom and dad, he knows what it is to be sad, and to need something exciting to cheer him up. So he tells Thrylos when he returns that he wants to give his adventure away to another kid who needs it more than he does. Thrylos is so impressed with Gabe’s unselfish choice that he offers to make Gabe his apprentice instead. Thrylos reveals that he is a time-traveling magician, and he travels throughout history to various critical, kairos moments in time to make sure they happen the way they should. But he can’t do it alone. Gabe asks if he can bring his adopted little sister Elizabeth and his bookish friend Marty as apprentices too, and Thrylos agrees.
Together, the three kids travel to Christmas Night, 1776: the pivotal night of the American Revolutionary War. Whether or not America ever becomes a nation hinges on General George Washington’s decision that night, when it seems like everything has gone wrong. Can Gabe, Elizabeth, and Marty convince General Washington to press on in the face of incredible odds? The fate of the future United States of America hangs in the balance!
a swift shake with his wrist, whereupon it sprouted legs and became a table. Gabe clapped like
this was one of his tricks, but Thrylos merely arched a brow at the boy and grinned, opening the
lid and shielding Gabe from its contents.
“This is just a prop,” he gestured at the briefcase-turned-table. “I only carry it because it’s
expected of magicians to have a box of some sort. Completes the image. But that’s not really the
kind of magic I do.”
Gabe seated himself cross-legged at Thrylos’s feet and leaned forward. “What kind do
you do?”
“Well,” his green eyes twinkled. “I’ll bet all the magic shows you’ve seen have done the
same tricks, right? Pick a card and I’ll guess which one, drawing a rabbit out of a hat, pulling a
coin out of your ear, and then sawing an assistant in half for the big finale?” Gabe nodded, and
Thrylos’s toothy grin grew wider. “What if instead I could—make it snow in springtime?”
He waved his hand, and Gabe blinked in surprise. He looked around, and sure enough,
cold little snowflakes kissed his cheeks and nose. He waited just long enough for Gabe to catch a
few of them and watch them melt in his palm. Then he waved a hand again, and the snowflakes
vanished.
“Or—conjure fire?” When Gabe looked up again, he realized that Thrylos had pulled an
unlit wax candle from his table. At his word, the wick ignited. Gabe’s mouth dropped open.
Thrylos blew out the candle, and a trail of smoke floated upward into the air. Then he
pointed at Gabe. “Or—counter gravity?”
Gabe gasped, as his legs flopped down now that the ground was no longer supporting
them. Instinctively he flung both arms out to the side as if to steady himself, feeling just a bit
frightened now.
“I’m flying!” he cried out, and Thrylos chuckled. He continued to lift Gabe into the air,
but stopped when his feet were just a few inches from the ground.
“People always expect me to levitate myself, as if by strings,” he mused. “It’s so much
more impressive when you’re the one to fly, instead of me, don’t you think?”
“But—but—we’re outside!” Gabe blustered, “there can’t possibly be any strings!”
“Do you see any strings?” Thrylos countered, amused.
Gabe looked all around his body, determined to make a thorough search before he
answered this question. As he did this, the weightlessness caused him to tip forward and
somersault in the air. He started to laugh in spite of his nervous excitement.
“This is amazing!”
“This is magic,” Thrylos agreed, chuckling himself now and lowering Gabe back to the
ground. He landed on all fours, panting hard as if he’d just exerted himself. He made his way
back to a cross-legged position but leaned forward, gazing up at Thrylos in hero-worship.
“Will you teach me?” Gabe begged. “Please? I know kids probably ask you that all the
time, but I’ll do anything. I’ll be such a good apprentice, I’ll do anything you ask me to do and
I’ll work so hard—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa there,” Thrylos held up a hand. “Let me correct one major false
assumption you just made. True magic cannot be taught, because it’s not a trick or a technique. It
can only be believed.”
Gabe blinked, and frowned, already feeling let down. “I don’t understand.”
Thrylos closed the lid of his briefcase. “Here’s the secret of magic, Gabe. Are you
ready?”
Gabe nodded, hope filling his breast again, and Thrylos knelt down in the grass beside
him.
“Anything is possible,” he whispered. “But most people don’t believe anything outside
their usual experience. That’s the whole secret right there: just believe, no matter what your
senses and experience tell you, no matter what your friends and family tell you is and isn’t
possible—believe, and you can do magic. The hardest part is disregarding the ordinary in the
beginning, but once you start experiencing magic, each experience makes it that much easier to
believe the next time.”
Gabe still felt skeptical. Didn’t every magician say that theirs were not tricks or illusions,
but real magic? And yet, he’d never seen anybody do the things Thrylos just did… how else
could he explain that?
“How do you… get started, then?”
“With help.” Thrylos grinned. “When my mentor first recruited me, he asked me the very
same question I’m about to ask you. What impossible thing do you most wish to experience? My
answer was to fly. That’s when he did for me what I just did for you. But what’s yours? Do you
want to soar through the clouds with the birds? Or swim with the dolphins? Or skate on Saturn’s
rings? You name it.”
Gabe realized he’d been holding his breath, as each offer conjured a different, incredible
image in his mind. “You mean it?”
Thrylos nodded, and Gabe realized up close that his eyes were so green, they looked like
emeralds. “I mean it.”
Gabe was silent for a long time. Then finally he said, “Can… can I think about it for a
little while before I answer? I don’t want to wish for the wrong thing…”
Thrylos gave Gabe a grave nod. “Absolutely, I understand. Very wise.” He stood up,
closed the lid of his briefcase-table, and gave it a shake. The legs retracted and vanished, and it
was a briefcase only again. “I tell you what, Gabe. I will come back in exactly one month for
your answer, to give you plenty of time to think about it. All right?” He stuck out a hand, which
was twice the size of Gabe’s and very weathered. Gabe put his hand into Thrylos’s and shook
with all the enthusiasm he had.
“You have a deal, Mr. Thrylos!”
C.A. Gray is the author of three YA Amazon bestselling trilogies: PIERCING THE VEIL (magic and quantum physics meet Arthurian legends), THE LIBERTY BOX (dystopian metaphysics and mind
control technology), and UNCANNY VALLEY (dystopian coming-of-age with neuroscience and super intelligent A.I). She starts with some scientific concept that she's interested in learning more about herself, and then creates lots of epic chaos and high-stakes action to go along with it. Her stories are free of gratuitous violence, language, and sexual content, and she abhors depressing endings... but they're not all kittens and rainbows either! She also listens to and reviews audiobooks on her website (www.authorcagray.com), Goodreads, Instagram, and on her podcast, Clean Audiobook Reviews, where she also occasionally interviews other authors.
By day, C.A. Gray practices naturopathic medicine, podcasts, and writes medical non-fiction under her maiden name (Lauren Deville). She lives in Tucson, AZ with her husband Frank, and together they maintain an occasionally contentious film review blog (under her real name: Lauren Baden. Three names. Yes.) She's kind of the queen of multitasking--so in her spare time, she creates whatever meals or crafts she found most recently on Pinterest, drinks lots of coffee (Aeropress btw) and occasional wine (reds--and she saves the corks for craft projects), works out (while listening to audiobooks), and studies the Bible (about half of the podcasts on Christian Natural Health are scripture meditations). ...She does sleep, too.
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