CURRENT BIO: Deceased. He was murdered by the Coalition along with my beloved daughter.
ABILITIES: Ashar was known as Judge, Jury and Executioner. He knew without question when a guilty party stood before him. Throughout most of his life he was given the authority to interrogate and convict Immortals of the crimes they committed. He carried out his own brand of punishment when the crime called for it. For mortals, his touch meant instant death. For Immortals, it meant a century or more in a coma, to wake with only the memory of their crimes and nothing of thier past. Some preferred to be handed over to the Coalition, but he rarely allowed that option.
Ashar also had the gift of foreknowledge––but only as a response to his Complement's clairvoyant gift. He saw her dreams, but he could determine what could be changed and what would always happen no matter how hard they tried to avoid it.
WEAPONS: A pair of katana blades, but his duplicitous mind was his greatest weapon.
TALENTS/SKILLS: Gifted musician and teacher
KNOWN ALIASES: He has used a variety of names throughout his life, but he's never risen to the limelight within the mortal world.
TOP SECRET NOTES: Few ever knew of Ashar's gift for dreamwalking. It is a rare and powerful telepathic gift. The world of dreams is a tricky place to navigate and medling with dreams can be dangerous.
~ ~ ~
Alísun:
The Last Queen of Indriell
I have not seen my wife in over two thousand years. For two millennia, I have lived half a life without the love and support of my truest companion. I have even raised one daughter and a son without her. Yet I still remember the sound of her laughter and the color of her eyes. She was taken from me in 259 BCE. But I will see her again and I will know the joy of teaching her about all that she has missed.
AGE: 7,716
BIRTHDATE: Spring of 5700 BCE at midday. I will never forget the moment she drew her first breath.
BIRTH STATUS: Natural Born daughter of Queen Eiselynn and King Ían
COMPLEMENT: King Alexander, The Scholar, bonded since 5,088 BCE
APPEARANCE:
EYE COLOR: Rudraksha (Cinnamon in color)
HEIGHT: 5'0"
HAIR COLOR: Blond, threaded with gold and silver
ETHNICITY/CULTURAL INFLUENCES: Indriell heritage and later, Sumerian and Greek influences
CURRENT LOCATION: Unknown
OCCUPATIONS: The Last Queen of Indriell and the general of her own army. Responsible for the end of The Great War. Seer and Prophetess.
HISTORICAL BIO: Immortal history remembers Alísun as the legendary young hero who led her kingdom to peace in a fairytale version of true events. But she was a just ruler who made difficult decisions that ultimately kept us off the endangered species list. Her most heartbreaking decision was banishing the afflicted mortals born out of the destruction of war. We banished our own son that day, and I can attest to how difficult that decision was for her. In the final years of the kingdom of Indriell, Alísun did what she could to ensure our survival. Her last decree as queen was to dismantle the kingdom and its cities, erasing any sign that our nation ever existed. With a heavy heart, she dissolved the realm and the sovereign rule of our family, ceding the world to the mortals who outnumbered us. We retreated quietly from our palace home, but many sought to place her back on the throne, even against her will. We knew we would never have a moment's peace unless the Immortal world forgot about us, so I used my gift to make us as a long forgotten legend and the Indriell line died with us.
CURRENT BIO: Coalition captive. I have not seen my wife since the day she was taken in the winter of 259 BCE.
ABILITIES: My dear wife and Complement is a gifted Seer. Her knowledge comes to her in the form of prophecy only she can truly understand. She was born during the Great War and has only ever known the corrupted power. But she never developed the magnetic sickness that plagues most Immortals. Alísun can also manipulate the perception of time. She can make it seem as if time flies or moves slowly. It is my one comfort, knowing she cannot feel the weight of all the time she has lost since she was taken thousands of years ago. She also draws strength from the passing of the seasons. She is at her strongest in spring and summer, but her weakest time is in the depths of winter.
WEAPONS: After The Great War, Alísun never fought with a bladed weapon again. She retired her sword and only fought with a quarterstaff. She never wanted to cause bloodshed ever again.
TALENTS/SKILLS: She has always been a talented artist and an amazing cook. I miss her home cooked meals ... and the sound of her laughter.
KNOWN ALIASES: Alísun's notoriety faded as the generations passed and we were assumed dead. She never sought the public eye again. For much of our married life, she took the Greek name, Thalia.
TOP SECRET NOTES: Not many know that Alísun and I survived the tumultuous years after The Great War and the final days of Indriell. Those who do know of our survival have assumed that Alísun was taken by the Coalition and I have let them believe their assumptions are true. She is captive. But our single greatest enemy holds her fate in his hands. He will not release her so easily. But one day soon, she will be freed and I will no longer live this half-life I have known without her.
~ ~ ~
Alexander: The Scholar
AGE: 8,871
BIRTHDATE: I think I was born sometime around 6,855 BCE, give or take a few centuries either way.
BIRTH STATUS: Natural born son of Indriell's most noble house
COMPLEMENT: Alísun, the last Indriell Queen, bonded since 5,088 BCE
APPEARANCE:
EYE COLOR: Star moonstone
HEIGHT: 5'8"
HAIR COLOR: Black threaded with silver––not because I'm old, but because I am Indriell royalty.
ETHNICITY/CULTURAL INFLUENCES: Indriell heritage, but I have been heavily influenced by every major culture of the world.
CURRENT LOCATION: If I told you, I'd have to kill you.
OCCUPATIONS: The Last King of Indriell and The Scholar. I don't recall ever having another job, but it is possible I worked for a living at some point in the past and I just blocked it out.
HISTORICAL BIO: See my personal journals, volumes 1-417
CURRENT BIO: I live all alone on a remote island in the South Pacific... Just kidding. I live with my oldest granddaughter and her family along the coast of Viña Del Mar, Chile. I spend my time fishing and wandering the beach with my two great-grandchildren. It is a happy life, but I miss my wife terribly. I know we will see each other again some day. Every event I witness, every bit of knowledge I gain is one step closer toward the day when our family will be whole again. I live for that day. And for now, it is enough.
ABILITIES: My gifts are of the scholarly sort. I can understand and speak almost any language. I have the gift of total recall for anything I've learned or read throughout my life (but somehow I still can't remember where I put my car keys). I see all the important moments of world happenings as they happen. Sometimes I am there to witness it. Other times, I simply see it happening before me, like a vision. I have been known to retreat into my visions, leaving me in a comatose state for weeks at a time.
WEAPONS: My mind, but if I must fight, I prefer the Haladie, double bladed knife or the Egyptian Khopesh.
TALENTS/SKILLS: Don't tell my wife, but in her absence, I've grown fond of making my own beer and knitting (it keeps my hands busy so I can think). I also like to think I have a small talent for writing the occasional humorous story or antic.
KNOWN ALIASES: The list of all my aliases is pretty great.
TOP SECRET NOTES: I can't live without books, chololate cake, Chai tea and tshirts. I am also the proud father of four children–– the doting grandpa of four bright young women, and the great-granpa of two little boys who try thier mother's patience––especially when I give them cake and caffine.
I watch over my family every single day, living for the time when we will all finally be together.
~ ~ ~
If you’ve enjoyed The Scholar, please consider leaving
an Amazon or Goodreads review.
~~~
Visit me at Melissaacraven.com for more information about the series and to sign up for exclusive content and special giveaways.
Check out the special content available on my site
Emerge Family Tree
Spotify Playlists - the music that inspired Emerge
Enter my giveaways
Follow me online
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
~~~
Coming Soon
Emerge: The Volunteer, An Emerge Short Story
Watch my site for details
Emerge The…? Coming 2017
Watch my site for the title reveal
Keep reading for a sneak peek at
Emerge: The Judgment
(Emerge Book 2)
The prophecy's about you, Red...
Allie Carmichael has been haunted by those words for months. After dropping a huge bombshell and then leaving her in limbo, Greggory McBrien still hasn't given her the answers she craves. The knowledge of her past and the absence of both Gregg and her father have left Allie an angry, twisted mess of emotions. She still feels an immeasurable amount of guilt for her mistakes that left her scarred for life and her friend, Quinn a captive of the Coalition. Allie finds herself constantly dancing on the edge of losing control of her power, too afraid to confide in anyone––even her handsome and broody best friend, Aidan.
A chance encounter at a dangerous nightclub reserved for Unproven Immortals, gives Allie and her friends the missing piece of the puzzle. If they have any hope of bringing Quinn home, they have to act quickly.
As Allie approaches her seventeenth birthday, the nightmares that only Aidan can keep at bay, return with a vengeance and she vows to finally face them on her own. But she struggles to understand what her clairvoyant gift is trying to tell her. When she finally begins to truly understand her gift, she fears it might be too late––and this time the price for her mistakes will be too high.
Last time she was afraid. This time she's angry.
Melissa’s Recommendations
New from Kelly St. Clare
Sin (The Tainted Accords: Novella One)
"He saunters in front of her with false casualness. Sin. Devastatingly handsome and devastatingly aware of it."
Sin is content to fight, fornicate, and drink his life away--in that order. He's got friends, he's got goldies, and he's blissfully free of females--during the day, anyway. If there's one thing his father taught him, it was to never to let a woman get too close. "Women weren't capable of loyalty." His father would say over a bottle of brew. "They'd leave you as soon as a better offer came along." Just like Sin's mother. Yet when Sin comes across, quite frankly, the ugliest woman he's ever seen, he finds himself offering her friendship, safe in the knowledge he'll never feel anything more. Even if she's different to any female he's ever met. Even when he can't stop thinking about her. Olorna is still recovering from the effects of starvation after struggling to survive the war. Now she feels horribly out of her depth as a new member in the solati court. Desperate to fit in for her mother's sake, who has been given the role of her dreams, Olorna's desperation soars when a royal change puts her mother's new position on tenuous ground. When the sinister Satum Namas offers an easy way to make all her problems go away, Olorna is determined to accept his offer despite the consequences. Even when a man incapable of love, steals a kiss from her lips. Even if she is making the biggest mistake of her life.
Raye Wagner
Curse of the Sphinx
An Ancient Curse. An Immortal Monster.
A Forbidden Love.
Seventeen year-old Hope Nicholas has spent her entire life on the run. With her mom, she’s traveled from town to town, barely staying long enough to meet anyone, let alone make friends. If she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to keep it that way. When her mother is murdered, Hope is left orphaned and alone. Is this the fulfillment of Apollo’s curse? Is Hope, too, being hunted? Hope flees again, staying hidden now more important than ever. But learning to navigate mean girls, demigods, and shadow-monsters from the Underworld is nothing compared to enigmatic and persistent new-boy, Athan Michael. In a modern world still ruled by the Greek Gods, being a monster is more than a curse. It is a death sentence.
Sneak Peek of Emerge: The Judgment
(Uncorrected proof excerpt, subject to change during final editing)
CHAPTER ONE
The Prophecy’s about you, Red…
Those words had haunted Allie all summer. For four long months, they’d echoed in her mind, setting her heart racing and her blood boiling. Everything she thought she knew about herself was a lie.
“You two do know there’s a cozy little inside shelter on this tugboat?” Aidan called across the ferryboat deck.
Allie watched the choppy waves of Lake Erie, bobbing up and down along the horizon. She hadn’t noticed the thunder or the rain. Neither had Sasha. Allie glanced at her friend on the bench beside her, lost in her own thoughts. She hadn’t seen much of Sasha in the last few months. She’d had a rough summer working for the Senate and refused to talk about it since her return.
Neither girl felt quite like themselves after the horrible events the night of the Springtime Ball. Allie had to live with the gravity of her mistakes––her hesitations that led to Quinn’s capture by the Coalition and so many months on the move. She’d almost cost her and her friends the home they loved. And Sasha … just wasn’t Sasha without Quinn.
“Come on you two,” Aidan said standing over them. “You’re looking a little crazy out here in this downpour. Let’s get inside where it’s dry. We’re almost home.” He grabbed Allie’s hand where it lay fisted in her lap.
“Stop doing that.” He scowled at her.
Allie relaxed her hands and winced at the sight of blood on her palms. The tiny crescent moon cuts were already healing and the rain washed away the blood. Allie stood and followed Aidan, smoothing her palms across her jeans.
“Sasha?” Aidan said.
“Leave her alone.” Allie turned and left Sasha to her thoughts. She caught a glimpse of Kelleys Island looming on the horizon and felt her spirits lift. After so much time abroad, hiding out in Agra first and then later among the remote Portuguese islands of the Azores, she was eager to get home.
Home. A strange concept for Allie. She felt such a deep connection with this place after a lifetime of moving from one place to the next with her mortal family. It was part of her now, and she was happy to be back. And she felt guilty for being happy when it looked as though Quinn might never come home.
“Don’t feel bad because you’re happy to be home, Lex,” Aidan said as he sat beside her.
“I have to work on my facial expressions if I’m that easy to read.” She still had him blocked. It took a monumental effort to achieve it, but there were things she just wasn’t ready to share with Aidan. When you had a telepathic connection with your best friend, privacy and secrets were a luxury.
"I don't like they way you've shut me out, Lex. But I can still get a sense of what's going through your mind, even if I don't know exactly what you're thinking."
“I was beginning to think we’d never see this place again,” Allie said. She couldn’t wait to get home to her tower bedroom for some much needed peace and quiet. She’d spent the summer surrounded by people nearly every minute of every day. And now she was returning to an empty house, while her parents lingered for a few more days in Bali with her older sister, Joss and her new fiancé, Nathan. “I can’t wait to get home for some alone time.”
“You’re a total weirdo, Lex. You’ve spent the whole summer dodging everyone to be alone. How can you possibly still crave solitude?”
“Beach date tonight? Or sleep?” She ignored his question. She was looking forward to relaxing in her own bed for a change, but the dreams—
she could do without the dreams.
“Sleep. Definitely sleep.” Aidan rubbed his bleary eyes.
They wouldn't be so tired if he hadn't spent the last few days in the Azores soaking up as much fun with Naomi as he possibly could.
“Yours or mine?” She knew she couldn’t last the whole night without sleeping and when she gave in, the dreams would come. She needed Aidan to help her sleep. When they were together, he kept the dreams away. It was a temporary solution, but the only thing that seemed to work so they could both rest.
“Meet me in the underground later. We'll spend the night in my studio,” Aidan said.
“I’m allowed to enter your most sacred domain?” She arched her brow in surprise. Aidan shared just about everything with her, but his music studio and his private room in the underground were off limits.
“We share a brain and a bed, so why not?”
“I’ll meet you there around one.” She was looking forward to having the house to herself, but she was also anxious to see her boyfriend, Vince. He’d spent several weeks with her in the Azores. Having him there was just the distraction she desperately needed and they’d grown even closer. With Vince, she didn’t have to deal with everything that happened after the ball. Like always, it was just easy being with him and she threw herself into their relationship. But just before Chloe’s Awakening, Naeemah sent him home. After a hot and heavy summer together, Allie hadn’t seen her boyfriend in nearly a month.
After Vince leaves?
“Stop doing that!” She didn’t like it when her concentration slipped and she let him in like that. She was terrified he would see something she wasn’t ready to talk about yet.
I can’t help it. I hear what I hear. Remember, I’m not the one trying to block you. What the hell happened in that room, Allie?
Emerge: The Scholar: A Fully Illustrated Character Journal Page 9