Hex Sortilege knows he cannot learn from the mistakes of his past if he does not know what they are. Instructed by Emperor Enoch Oberon to document the important events of his time, Hex narrates a fantasy tale like no other, describing a hidden version of Shreveport, Louisiana, populated by angelic, demonic, and lycanthropic humanoids. After King Enoch sends Hex to investigate a young elf known to have a dark aura about her, his normally peaceful life rapidly turns into a nightmare. When he encounters the feisty elf in an underground bar, she informs him she has come to Shreveport to escape the Ancient's pathetic High Council and all its rules. Unfortunately, the elf has already broken two rules, and Hex must take her by force to see the King immediately. But when she meets the King Enoch, all hell breaks loose; she unleashes her fiery temper and reveals the true reason for her presence to the Shreveport monarchy. Everyone knows the Ancients of 318 kneel before nothing-not even their own vices. But it is only a matter of time before the King and the residents of Shreveport are unintentionally entangled in the inexhaustible drama that surrounds a manipulative elf.
Ancients of 318
The lost book of SortilegeBy Jesse Aaron BlackbourneiUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Jesse Aaron Blackbourne
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4502-8213-0Chapter One
She walked slowly along the edge of the battlefield as she gazed with her empty black eyes upon the bodies of the fallen soldiers and what remained of the charred rubble that was once a small, quiet town. Her long, ash colored hair gently swept across the blood soaked ground. She could not help but feel pride from her accomplishment as she thought, "Surely I will be in Zorrati's favor now."
The demon princess was beside herself with glee; however, she only allowed herself a half grin to express her delight. She continued her prideful walk through the battlefield – until her eyes caught the glimpse of a strange dark green object clutched in the grasp of the burnt skeletal remains of a fallen enemy. She curiously walked toward the object, realizing how strange it was that the body was burned to bone and ash, yet the object remained unharmed.
"What sorcery is this?" she whispered under her breath as she stepped close enough to realize the object in question was some sort of book.
The book was bound in dark green leather and held shut by a silver lock. Sculpted into the leather cover was a familiar symbol of an upside down triangle with three lines extending from the center, stopping at its corners. Underneath this strangely familiar symbol were the words, Imperial Archive Volume 777 written by Hex Sortilege.
The demon recognized that name, it belonging to one of her enemies' generals. She knew there must be some sort of secret plans or hidden location buried in the text of this book. The book was magically sealed; however, her demonic powers easily overwhelmed the sorcery holding it shut and she ripped the silver lock off the book. As she opened it, a note fell out of the front cover. She grabbed the note quickly before it landed on the ground and read it before continuing on to the text of the manuscript. The note read ...
Dear Olivia,
Please take this manuscript to my old teacher, Lord Vladimir Draconis. It is the latest volume of the Imperial Archives that I have written. It contains a detailed record of the events that have led to this war. Tell him I am sending him this volume so that he may use its contents to convince your father and the rest of the Nest members to send assistance to the Empire. I am aware of the Circle's laws on staying neutral, but if the Circle does not intervene on these matters, the balance of the entire world may be at risk.
I cannot deliver it myself, as you probably already know; I am being hunted by the Circle. In fact, you are probably the one hunting me. I understand that you are doing your job and being loyal to your duty. I respect that. But, I have not lost my mind. I did what I did only out of instinct. I had no control over myself. Hopefully, after you read this text, you will understand. I only ask that you do as you have always done, and just trust me.
-Hex- Zirdo a Ozien de a Vovin!
After reading the note, the demon crumbled it in her hand and tossed it over her shoulder. She then continued on to read the pages of text within the leather bound cover ...
Imperial Archive: Volume 777 Author: Hex Sortilege
With awakening statements written by Carol Armstrong and Josh De'Monte,
this volume of text is part of the Archives of Oberon's Empire. This and all other volumes of the Archives are to be used for the historical education of future generations of ancients, and it should never leave the archive unless permission is granted by the Emperor. The crime of removing a volume of the archives without permission is punishable by no less than one year of incarceration at the proving grounds and no more than death. Offenders will face Imperial Justice.
My name is Hex Sortilege, and I have been instructed by Emperor Enoch Oberon to write this volume of the Imperial Archives. I have never written an archive before, so this will probably be different than the other texts in your studies you are more familiar with. Why Enoch has asked me to write this volume is still a mystery to me; however, he is Enoch, and he never decides anything without a reason. I have learned to trust in that fact over the years. The Oberon family has always felt that documentation of important events is critical to our survival.
Malich always used to say, "We can't learn from the mistakes of the past if we don't know what they are."
So it has become tradition for all ancients to document their awakenings in their own words, and that the Empire should keep a record of all major events. I chose to include Carol and Josh's statements because their awakenings came at a time of significant importance, and their statements hold valuable information that correlate with the rest of the events I am documenting.
As a stipulation for me writing this archive, I have asked the Emperor if I could include some of my poetry. He, of course, agreed to the stipulation. I do hope you enjoy them; but, if you do not, I don't care. I am the one writing this archive and you are a student; therefore, you have no say in the matter. The rest of the archive will be an accounting of the events that have taken place in Louisiana during the month of February in the year 2009.
Magical we
Here be us, magical we
Hiding among normality
Mystical souls of earthly desire
Dancing around our wondrous fire
Whispering secrets into the wind
Swimming the waters of the river's bend
Chasing the Wolf through the moonlight
The blood will flow when the Bats take flight
And the elves are ready to join the fight
The Demons wait in want and regret
While the Necromancers observe the new found threat
The Angels sing a song of the king
While the humans are blind to everything
The dragons try and keep the balance
But achieving that takes more than talent
The Wiccans hang on to the old religions
While the untrained cultists make bad decisions
Spirits dance behind the veil
While the Gods do hope that we prevail
Hear these words, for this prophet is true
Among the many we are the few
You may not see us, but we're all around you.
To "The Family" ... Call me Sortilege
I remember when we were called family
When I was known as just Phoenix
And our bonds were tight knit
Like a genetic double helix
Most of us searching the quick fix
To life's little turns, twists, and cruel tricks
I remember the what-am-I
The what-is-he
The who-is-who
And the what-could-she-be
Misinformed of our true nature
Dancing like puppets
For a twisted mind's pleasure
But being there for each other
Hoping not to fail one another
Follow the leader further
Every day something new to discover
Searching to infinity
To find ourselves a new identity
Lost in a spiral
Of mystical insanity
Then hope turned to dread
When old one-eye lost his head
And Lies and deceit
Made the Outlaw's bed
A Raven's manipulation
Sowed the seeds of destruction
And all blamed she
Who was mad with confusion
Though the Countess held the strings
Of all these precious things
The Raven set up
With betrayal in her wings
Some fools followed suit
As the pied piper
Played a trickster's flute
Fussing and fighting
Betraying and forgetting
Fighting over scraps
That were never ours for the taking
A family some ran from
When they heard the storms come
Their minds then eroded
And they forgot where they came from
So call me story boy
Cause you fail to hear
Bitch I got your story boy
Right fucking here
So was it all just pretend
It wasn't faked then
When I called you my friend
But here is a fact that can be understood
Some of them never knew
The meaning of brotherhood
So hear it now near and far
Hear the sound of the dragon's call
It pulls them close
And draws them near it
But most of them
Won't even feel it
Their vanity has betrayed it
And utterly destroyed it
You all were my family
And I will never forget it
Now I know some of you
Have always been here and stayed true
And to my true Brothers and Sisters
I still have love for you
But a change has been made
And a new day has dawned
New life has taken over
Now phoenix is gone
He left with the age
And now I turn the page
So here I am
Call me Sortilege!
Descendants of Genocide
We are the descendants of genocide
The truth can be seen
Look deep into your own eyes
Feel it in your veins
Deep in the blood where it lies
Waiting in sleep
As it prepares to arise
Our ancestors betrayed
And caught by surprise
Women and children burned
Alive in their sleep
Fathers and husbands that returned
Could do nothing but weep
For the loss of their families
They fought back in grief
Laid waste to their enemies
But the victory was brief
For the past is revealed
By our present state
Hunted and slaughtered
Genocide was their fate
For the Crusades and Inquisitions
Lay blood thirsty in wait
Jealousy and greed
Fueled their war and filled their plate
They erased us from history
And raped our culture
Made fables of our family
Hoping to keep us out of the future
They stole our practices
And tainted our faith
How naive were they
Who thought we vanished without a trace
But the blood has survived
Thin as can be
The genetics still thrive
I feel it within me
The lies were a myth
Passed down by fools
And you're right to be pissed
BUT THIS IS YOUR FAMILY!
YOUR BLOOD AND YOUR HERITAGE!
THIS IS WHERE YOU CAME FROM!
HOW DARE YOU NOT DEFEND IT!
More truth shall come
In time when you're ready
To those who see the light
I say be patient, hold steady.
From the Club to the Court House.
Four fucking days! That's all it took for everything to go from happy and peaceful to all out unholy hell. It all started when King Enoch sent me to investigate a new ancient reported to him by Bast. She told Enoch this new blood could have been an elf; but she was not sure, because the girl she spotted seemed to have a dark aura about her. Of course, it is possible for elves to carry a dark aura, but it's not common.
As I passed the entrance of a club called The Underground, I felt her. Her presence was strong and radiating passion, and it was obvious she was not trying to hide it. I began to wonder if she was either too inexperienced to hide it or if she was looking for attention. I showed the doorman my I.D. and walked into the elevator to ride down to the basement. The club was literally underground.
The entire main room was dimly lit, except for the stainless steel bar in the center and the hardwood dance floor to the right, which were both teeming with the soft glow of black lights. The dance floor was also littered with lazer lights and strobes. The bartenders were performing tricks as they were mixing drinks. They were tossing bottles into the air, flipping glasses, and breathing fire all to the rhythmic beat of the music. I would have spent some time watching the show, but as I walked towards the dance floor there she was. The elf was dancing and flirting with every guy she could get her hands on. Her obvious attempts to draw attention to herself only showed her inner desperation for affection, which is definitely not an attractive quality in a woman.
I walked up behind her on the dance floor and said, "Hello there." while I anxiously rolled my fingers around my dagger in the sleeve of my trench coat.
As she turned her head to look at me, the fluorescent black light swept across her pale skin shining the few flakes of glitter placed carefully upon her cheeks. She was short, but her platform shoes made her as tall as I was. She was wearing fishnet stockings under a plaid knee high skirt, which was complimenting only a black bra with a long sleeve, fishnet shirt over it. Her hair was unnaturally straight, she must have used a straightening iron, and it was dyed dark purple, like the color of concord grapes; and the makeup on her face was various shades of grey and black.
When her ice blue eyes met mine, she smiled, leaned over to me pressing her cheek upon mine, touched her black lips to my ear and whispered, "Not many Ancients around these parts. What brings you my way?"
I guided her chin with the tips of my fingers back to eye contact and said with a smile, "Your beauty and your soul called out to me."
I was going to try and seduce her into giving me some answers like Bast had suggested, but I decided that just wasn't my style.
So I quickly took on a more serious persona while in a scolding tone I questioned her, "I could sense you from across the street. When did you get into town, and why did you not make yourself known?"
Her flirtatious smile turned quickly to a scowl as she grabbed me by the lapel of my black leather trench coat and dragged me into the nearby women's restroom. My black fedora almost fell off my head, but I was able to quickly secure it with my right hand.
She flung open the door tossed me inside throwing me up against a wall as she checked every stall to ensure there were no witnesses. Then she locked the door. As she turned around her eyes turned quickly from ice blue to bright red. She then held up her right hand and red sparks of electricity began to arc back and forth between her fingertips. She was obviously quite powerful. Elves are naturals when it comes to manipulating others' emotions, but manipulating energy takes them years to master.
She then launched a small bolt of red lightning, hitting the wall next to my head as she spoke. "I came here to get away from your pathetic Council and your bullshit rules. If I can't even come to Shreveport to get away from you then I'll just have to start taking you all out. I will kill you all one by one if I ..."
I could not stop myself from interrupting her with my uncontrollable laughter. This girl could not have gotten me off my feet, even on her best day, if I had not allowed her to. Even though she was powerful, she was in no way a threat to me. I decided to show off a bit, so I hovered about a foot off the ground.
I condensed the air around her to put out her little light show and make her sit still for a second as I began to explain, "Little girl, I am not here to tell you what to do. I am not part of the High Council. In fact, the High Council has not been welcome in this town for quite some time. I am, however, a close friend and associate of the man who is in charge in this town. Though there may not be any Council influence here, there are rules and you just broke a couple. You should not assume so much. Assumptions are the mother of all fuck ups. First, I am a high ranking member of the Circle of Dragons, so you will respect me. Second, this city is not a Council city. It is an Imperial city, and you just insulted a lord of this city. Now, I will take you to our king and you can explain to him what you are doing here. Oh, and be warned, he's a vampire, so he already has an ill disposition toward elves, even elves with auras as dark as yours."
I then grasped her arm and lead her though the crowd of gothic wannabes and spoiled emo brats, pushing and moving people out of my way; the whole time thinking to myself that the occupancy limit in this place has pretty much been thrown out the window. As we entered the elevator to get up to the ground floor, she looked over at me with worry and fear in her eyes, almost as a child would look at a father knowing they were in trouble and trying to gain sympathy.
I felt sorry for her, so I said, "Don't worry, doll. This is not a Council city, and we do not cut off your head for speaking your mind. You just need to know who is in charge and we need to know who you are. This is for your own protection as well as ours."
It was strange that I was trying to comfort this girl. Normally, I was not so nice, especially when it comes to refugees from a Council city. The last time something like this happened, I had to bring the king a smoldering pile of embers rather than the live invader. That one had it coming, he tried to use a flame thrower on me, and I had to redirect the flames back at him. What kind of an idiot uses a flamethrower on a dragon? Anyway, he was also a guy; so my kindness towards this girl was probably simply due to my kinder disposition towards the female gender.
I helped her across Market Street to my car, which was a 1988 red Chevy Camaro, and then I opened the door for her to get in.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Ancients of 318by Jesse Aaron Blackbourne Copyright © 2011 by Jesse Aaron Blackbourne. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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