KREIOS.
London, England, 1977
William Marsburg coughed so hard that his lungs felt lit by Hellfire in his chest. He was hunched in a large four-poster bed in a room not quite dark, but full of the gloom of death.
He fell back in an exhausted heap and the pillow accepted him with the warm softness of goose down. Marsburg had a full head of white hair, and even on his deathbed he looked far stronger than he should have—not a day over fifty. Time, it seemed had been good to him, but now his life was precipitating away at an alarming rate. It would not be cheated, he surmised; or was it death that was the jealous lover?
A slender nurse came into the low-lit room silently. She had heard the coughing and placed a cool cloth on his damp forehead. His fever broke the night before but he knew he would not make it to the weekend.
Marsburg gripped her small wrist, croaking out two words, then fell into another fit of hard hacking. “My… son!”
Ms. Naples shushed him and cooed in a soothing voice. He relaxed and lay his head back down, gasping at the air, seeming not to be able to get enough.
Ms. Naples turned and left the room to fetch his son.
Marsburg closed his eyes; the cool lids quenched his hot eyes. Had he been consigned to Hell? Was this the precipice of his eternity? He hoped not, but deep inside the psyche where most feared to tread, he knew that he might very well deserve the lake of fire.
England was in the throes of a harsh and long winter, and William Marsburg felt its desolation deeply. He remembered the time he first laid eyes on the Book. He could still feel its presence! The voice was ever-present in the back of his mind even now—it was a disease of thought he had never been able to shake. Nay, indeed: he hadn’t wanted that. And now that the finish actively stared him down… “Ah…” he sighed, and he could not shake the heaviness that haunted him. Perhaps he had been mistaken all those years ago. He still heard it as if for the first time:
KREIOS
He shivered and pulled the covers up around his neck, praying for death to come, for freedom from this burden.
The Book was in a safe place, but he had to make sure it stayed that way. No matter the cost, the Book was worth more than one man’s life. He let a tear escape at the thought of his son and the long life he had yet to begin to bear. Now at the threshold himself, he began to understand Wagner’s reluctance. “Oh God!” His plea was but a breath.
He turned as his son entered the large and well-furnished room. Marsburg had done well for himself. He was after all the master of rare antiquities. The people of England, the royals too, had enjoyed them. They could see it all, his entire collection. But not the Book.
“Father.” A tall well-built man stood over him with pure black hair and a jaw thick and heavy. Many women had fallen for his eyes, the flame that resided there inside them.
“My son,” It was a simple greeting but it brought more tears to his eyes. As he gazed upon his only son and saw what lie in wait for him, it pained him. “I have to tell you a story.”
The son shook his head in protest. “Father, you need your rest, please…” His voice dropped off and Marsburg knew in an instant that this would be the last conversation he would have with his son.
“No, my son… I must tell you this story before I go. It is more important than anything you could imagine. You must listen and heed what I tell you.” He struggled to a sitting position and his son pushed a few pillows behind his back. The move was exhausting. His back ached and his mouth was dry. He gestured for the tall glass of water on the nightstand. His son handed it to him.
After a few sips, he began. His boy took a seat on the edge of the bed and looked sadly at him, feeling too that this would be their final moment together.
“I am an old man; much older than you think. I was born in July of 1856. It snowed in July that year… who would have thought it could snow in July! But it did. That was the day I was born.”
William Marsburg began to weave his tale. The Book was secreted close by, perhaps five miles distant, in a chamber known only to him. It pulsed, supernatural protection and long life emanating to its guardian in symbiosis. Soon the guardianship would pass to Marsburg’s son—he would have to decide if he would take up his father’s mantle.
Even in that moment, as William began to fade, the Book began to call to Jack Marsburg lowly, insistently:
KREIOS.
Airel
By Aaron Patterson
&
Chris White
Electronic Edition Copyright ©2010, 2011 by Aaron Patterson
All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher.
StoneHouse Ink 2011
StoneHouse Ink
Nampa ID 83686
http://www.stonehouseink.net
First eBook Edition: 2011
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to a real person, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Airel: a novel/by Aaron Patterson & Chris White
Cover design by © Claudia McKinney - phatpuppyart.com
Model/Jessica Truscott - http://jessicatruscott.weebly.com/
Published in the United States of America
StoneHouse Ink
Table of Contents
Also by Aaron Patterson
Lament
PART ONE: The Awakening
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
Chapter XV
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XIX
Chapter XX
Chapter XXI
Chapter XXII
Chapter XXIII
Chapter XXIV
Chapter XXV
Chapter XXVI
Chapter XXVII
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter XXIX
Chapter XXX
Chapter XXXI
Chapter XXXII
PART TWO: The Discovering
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
Chapter XV
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XIX
PART THREE: The Book
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
PART FOUR: Revelation
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Epilogue
"MICHAEL" sample
About the Authors
Extended Backcut Story
Front Matter
Airel Page 32