Dawn of Defiance: The Horizon — Andi Neal

Dawn of Defiance is the second volume of the thrilling fantasy short story series, Kingdom of Destiny. The Horizon is the second of five episodes in the volume.

A recent college graduate finds himself in an alternate world he never knew existed. Dealing with castles, kings, and betrayal, he will have to use his considerable wits if he is going to face his fate in the Kingdom of Destiny.

Ryder has spent all of his life dreaming of what lies beyond his father's small Baricoan farm. But when a mysterious man falls at his feet from the sky, he finds himself caught in a whirlwind of dangerous adventure that transports him beyond any dream he could have imagined. Now he has no choice but to venture into the unfamiliar territory of his kingdom's greatest enemy. However, when he and his companions are forced to flee south to avoid the greedy emperor, Ryder discovers an oppressed people desperate for relief and inadvertently lays the foundations for the land's Dawn of Defiance.

On the run from the emperor's soldiers, Ryder has no choice but to flee south with Tristan and Xander. But he soon finds himself in a fight he never meant to start, and when Xander is unexpectedly injured, he realizes the people he thought were his enemy are actually his greatest ally.