by Aderyn Wood
Michael’s mouth fell open and he looked back at Georgette, and when he did so his vision switched of its own accord to behold the spirit realm. Georgette’s aura was aglow in gold. She was smiling. A wind sprang up from somewhere and then the gold shot upwards, a fantastic ray of sunlight. Michael’s vision switched back to the physical world, his fingers tingling. Georgette was gone.
“Did you see–” Michael turned back to speak to the gypsy traders, but they had moved to talk with curious customers, and his gaze fell on the stall next-door. A nurseryman was selling roses all awash with new buds.
A woman was bent over one, her nose on a rose just bloomed, breathing in its scent. She stood up straight with a smile and Michael’s heart stopped.
“Judith,” he whispered.
Epilogue
Extract from Emma’s blog – A new entry
Dear Reader,
They say the sins of the father shall be visited upon the son. Perhaps that’s why I was born a bastard. But now I am born again, and I have a new Father. From the very moment I drank of His sacred gift I discovered true power. Dark power to be sure.
The whole world has been fooled in the wake of that night, the priest chief among them. He thinks me destroyed, vanquished to nothing but dust. Not so.
My Father’s most holy blood grants me agency, cogency, authority over my own flesh such that I can change its very form.
Stoker, it turns out, knew even more than I first understood. The dust was truly there in that cavern, but it was no indication of my destruction, as the priest imagines.
I escaped Egypt with a new awareness. And here I exist in an altered capacity, ready to undertake my Father’s will.
The time has come for a New World Order, in which the willing shall reign supreme. I need you, dear reader, to awaken from your slumber. To break the chains that enslave you to the world as you know it. A world filled with the mundane. A world that is grey with enfeeblement, cowardice and timidity.
The time has come for the strong to inherit the Earth.
Will you join me?
N.C.
Will there be more?
This book marks the end of the trilogy, but with our notorious viscount’s son still out there – somewhere – there could be more story to come…
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Acknowledgments
Thank you to Peter, my partner, for your support and your feedback. So happy you liked the ending!
To my wonderful beta readers who provided me with fantastic feedback and ideas to make the story the best it could be. Special thanks particularly to Barry, Kirshy, Danielle, Teri, Margaret, Kelcey and Elena.
Thanks also to my editor, Amanda. You rock!
And a final thanks to you the reader, for picking this trilogy to read out of the thousands out there. Thank you!
Also by Aderyn Wood
The Viscount’s Son
“Not the usual vampire story.” – Kindle Customer
Emma, book conservator and history buff, begins an anonymous online project – to translate an ancient diary on her blog. As the diary entries become darker and more mysterious, Emma meets a handsome stranger, and her personal life takes on uncanny parallels to her secret online translations. When her love life grows even stranger, Emma wonders if she should end the blog, but is it too late?
The Viscount’s Son Trilogy is perfect for fans of vampire and paranormal mysteries, psychic investigator thrillers, occult suspense, angels, demons, and lovers of a good twist.
The Earl’s Daughter
“Find out what kind of monster his is, and bring my daughter back to us.”
Michael D'Angelo doesn't normally investigate murder, but since they never found Emma's body, she's technically just a missing person. But he doesn't investigate those either.
After the Earl of Wolston reads the translation of a sinister and ancient text published on his daughter's blog, in the days leading up to her disappearance, he reaches out to Mr D'Angelo, convinced that evil forces are at work: something beyond the ordinary, something not of this world, something unholy.
Fortunately for Michael, Paranormal Investigations are his specialty. But as Michael unravels Emma's last days, and the secrets inscribed on her blog, strange new entities reveal themselves, and he begins to question whether such knowledge is too dangerous to pursue.
The Viscount’s Son Trilogy is perfect for fans of vampire and paranormal mysteries, psychic investigator thrillers, occult suspense, angels, demons, and lovers of a good twist.
The Raven – The Secret Chronicles of Lost Magic
Clan of the Cave Bear meets Epic Fantasy…
The clan’s survival is under threat, but one has the power to save them – their Outcast.
In the Wolf Clan, in winter's darkest hour, a baby is born with a powerful gift. But dangerous omens brand her an Outcast, and the Elders name her Iluna.
As Iluna comes of age, dark magic, war, and treachery soon jeopardize the life of every clan member; many suspect Iluna and her gift. Is she to blame? Or is she salvation?
Iluna must decide: save the clan, or save herself.
'The Secret Chronicles of Lost Magic' is a collection of standalone epic fantasy novels rather than a series. Each novel is a complete story that invites readers to fully immerse into a rich fantasy world. Each ‘Chronicle’ is set in a different era within the same world and can be read in any order, but here’s the chronology for interested readers:
#1 The Raven – a ‘prehistoric’ era
#2 Dragonshade – a ‘Bronze Age’ era
Dragonshade – The Secret Chronicles of Lost Magic
This game of thrones will be played by gods. And when the gods play, ancient cities burn…
Prince Sargan is the worst swordsman in all Zraemia. His clumsy performance draws scorn from his uncle, pity from his sister, disappointment from his father, and sniggers from everyone else.
But soon, Sargan will enter the temple and begin his long-awaited path to the seat of high priest.
His brother will one day inherit the throne.
His sister will marry.
The enemy king will leave them alone.
And all will be right with the world.
Unless… the gods change the game.
And when the gods play, the game turns to war – the Great War.
Ancient prophecies surface, dark enemies rise, new allies emerge, old ones can’t be trusted, magic scorches the earth, reluctant heroes are made, and nothing is ever the same again.
'The Secret Chronicles of Lost Magic' is a collection of standalone epic fantasy novels rather than a series. Each novel is a complete story that invites readers to fully immerse into a rich fantasy world. Each ‘Chronicle’ is set in a different era within the same world and can be read in any order, but here’s the chronology for interested readers:
#1 The Raven – a ‘prehistoric’ era
#2 Dragonshade – a ‘Bronze Age’ era
The Borderlands (Book One): Journey
'It is urgent for you to reach the Borderlands. There, you will learn everything you need to know.'
Dale has never felt a sense of belonging. She despises the bullies and snobs at school, and her family are difficult to like, let alone love. Rhys, a new boy at school seems to take an interest in her. But can she trust him? When the only friend she has ever had, Old Man Gareth, is murdered before her eyes, she is set on a frantic journey and a lonely adventure; the Borderlands beckon. But what are the Borderlands? Will she make it to them? And if she gets there, will she belong?
About the Author
From high fantasy to paranormal, Aderyn's stories cover the broad spectrum of Fantasy. Inspired from childhood by the wonder and mystique of Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising and the adventures in Tolkien's The Hobbit, her love of the Fantasy genre has been life long. As a writer, Aderyn brings characters and places to life in stories filled with magic, mystery, and a good dollop of mayhem.
Aderyn studied Literature, History and Creative Writing at university, travelled the world, and taught English before becoming a full-time writer. She is also a part-time farmer passionate about self-sufficiency and poultry. She lives in a cosy cottage on a small farm in Victoria, Australia with partner Peter, their dog, cat, and a little duck called Snow.
Learn more and subscribe to Aderyn’s monthly-ish newsletter at aderynwood.com