what elephants know, a novel


The Gears :: The Characters of the story


Please note, there are minor spoilers here.


Main Characters

Marcus Dawson Marcus Dawson CEO and founder of Dawson Electronics.
Spoiler Alert. Click if you'd like to read it.
Racdair Racdair Racdair is Miandai, spiritual leader of the Village, sworn protector of the Masiah.
David Lockley David Lockley David, son of Marcus Dawson and Emma Lockley. Daniel Lockley is also his father. (Daniel refuses to be referred to as a stepfather. "David is my son.")
Emma Lockley Emma Lockley Emma, daughter of Sara and Mitchell Pauls, mother of David Lockley, former lover of David Chastain (a.k.a. Marcus Dawson), and wife of Daniel Lockley. She is Racdair's great-great-granddaughter.   All Emma wants is a normal life. Unfortunately, we don't always get what we want.
Daniel Lockley Daniel Lockley Daniel is Emma's husband and David's [step]father. Daniel has secrets.
Martin Devilin Martin Devilin Martin Devilin, vice-president of Dawson Electronics and twin brother of Luther.
Chanrille Chanrille Chanrille is Elefa, princess of her herd, and friend and companion to David Lockley.



Secondary Characters

Secondary characters are important to the plot and their importance increases as the story progresses. They may have only marginal impact in book one, but may become focal points in book 2 and 3.


Bonnie BONNIE Bonnie is the artificial intelligence life-form that resides is the brain of the Dawson Electronics mainframe.
Gilbert (Gil) Polemus  
Gil functions as Security Chief on Shift. Dawson Electronics doesn’t have a “Head of Security”, but when Marcus to creates the position, Gil will be his choice.

Gil Polemus has an impressive resume: Special Forces, NYPD, and a certified demolitions expert. After reviewing his resume, Marcus interviewed him personally. He could not believe someone with this type of experience wanted to be a security guard.
“Sir, I’m not looking to ever have to kill anyone again,” had been Gil’s reply. This struck a sympathetic chord in Marcus, and the two men had spent the better part of that first afternoon discussing the need or lack thereof for combat. Marcus told Gil that his company was developing only one weapon, but it fell into what he coined “non-lethal alternative combat.” It seemed an oxymoron to Gil, but when Marcus explained it, Gil understood.
“What you’re saying is you can’t stop men from fighting, so give them tools that will allow someone to win without wiping out the population and infrastructure. Militarized football.”
Once he had a handle on what made Marcus Dawson tick, Gil became one of his strongest advocates. As an employee, Gil became a major recruiting asset. Because of Gil, most of the guards and security specialists at DE are veterans with extraordinary skills that make them valuable in any situation. They all have one thing in common: They can kill - efficiently, but it‘s the last thing they ever want to do again. Marcus’ reputation for “non-lethal alternative combat” has become well known, and Gil is his preacher in the field.

Author secret: In my mind, Gil looks like Greg Grunberg, the actor who portrays Matt Parkman on Heroes.
Gregory Crowley Gregory Crowley Greg Crowley is a mercenary, a killer for hire, and he's currently in the employ of Martin Devilin.
Sara Pauls   Emma's mother is the granddaughter of Racdair. Her father, Bilal, was Racdair's first son.
Allen   Allen is the facilitator, manager, and servant of his Employer. His life, therefore his actions, are not his own - or so he believes. Evil is as evil does until he can be free.
Bienn   She is blond, beautiful, and a brilliant biochemist. She is also a world-class sadist and assassin.
"The Employer"   He is the "heart eater", the evil of legend, the darkness of the prophecy. He is the one that our heroes must face in the end. His story and history are complex, and his identity is the ultimate surprise.
Lidea Lidea Lidea is a  counsel woman in the village and Racdair's friend. Her destiny is tied to the discovery of the "heart eater."
Jahinda   Racdair's youngest son and fifteenth child. Jahinda means courageous, and his name is appropriate.
Dr. Clay Willis   Dr. Willis is one of Marcus' best friends. He is the head of diagnostic and radiological technologies at Dawson Electronics.

Author secret: In my head, Clay Willis looks like Artie Neilson (Saul Rubinek) of Warehouse 13.
The Elephants
  • Anshir - the oldest bull (The zookeepers call him Elvis because he loves Elvis' music.
  • Dacdir - a young male attracted to Chanrille
  • Lujen - a young male
  • Samsan - the largest of the young males
  • Baby - the new male calf. He is still too young to choose his name
  • Kilar - a young and docile female. She is Lujen's mate and mother of the new calf
  • Shantara - youngest of the senior cows and quite bossy
  • Grandmother (Fillesa) - the oldest of the cows
Luther Devilin Luther Devilin Luke, twin brother of Martin Devilin. Luke is husband to Lisa and father to Mark, Paul and Deborah. He is the lead biochemist at a firm in Virginia.
Lisa Devilin Lisa Devilin Wife of Luke and mother to the twins, Mark and Paul, and daughter Deborah. She has an intense dislike for Martin. You'll have to read Martin's diary to find out why.
Tyrae   One of the entities known to the people of the Village as Masiah
Gothan   A former Masiah, Gothan is an evil entity that was the power contained in the Masiaic Talisman
Athena Athena Athena is the antithesis of Bonnie, though that was not her original makeup. She is "born" in Book 3.
Shinda   Boyhood friend of Racdair and Marcus. His name means "conquer".
General Halunn   Leader of the conquering forces of Tyrae's world.


Supporting Cast

Their roles are minor, but they're great people. Some were deleted as time went on, but they live in memoriam in deleted scenes. Others are part of the weKnow history and mythology and their stories are in the journals, diaries, and story logs.

Mrs. Abigail Trestle   Head librarian at Center Street Library where David visits often. She is empathic, especially when David is around. She is the first one to tell him about "The Book".
Kianda   Beloved of Shinda, great-great-grandmother of Lidea. Her name means "daughter of the hunter".
Shomari   Shomari was the Miandai of the village during Racdair and Daud's youth. He passed the power of the Miandai to Racdair.
Abasi   Kainda's father. His name means "stern".
Sifiye   Shinda's mother. Her name means "we are dying".
Della   Marcus Dawson's pilot and the first black female commercial pilot.
     


New Characters

There are characters "a-borning". They'll show up here in time. Please note: The images used are representative of my characters. The people are models. Most images come directly from or composed from images purchased from istockphotos.com.


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