Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Date Published: 09-18-2024
Publisher: Bright Communications
WOULD YOU SACRIFICE AN ENTIRE CITY TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE?
A massive explosion rips through the outdoor seating area of a popular restaurant in downtown Trondheim. Two days later, fourteen people are found dead in a church along a remote section of coastline. The souls of the victims have been ripped from their bodies. Moments later a spirit from the Otherworlds steps through the Black Void to find the ancient relic that killed them.
On a secluded island in the Arctic Circle, a troubled man sees a world that has lost its way and feels compelled to change that. He plans to wield the formidable power of a mysterious artifact to reshape the moral fabric of eight billion unsuspecting souls—knowing that his actions will wipe out the inhabitants of an entire city.
David Skye and Jade “Epiphany” Hendrix set out to stop him and save the lives that would be lost if he were to succeed. Their efforts to do that are complicated by Kari Salversen, a dedicated police detective with the Norwegian Police Service. She believes David and Epiphany are involved in a recent string of deadly attacks and is determined to apprehend them.
A reckoning of souls is quickly approaching, as the battle for humanity unfolds in the snowy, arctic fjords of Norway, and the vast spirit realms of the Otherworlds. The possibility of a peaceful future for billions of souls and the lives of tens of thousands of innocent people are both at stake. In a clash that pits two opposing sides against each other, which one is on the more righteous path?
Anders
noticed a big man with a beard and long hair enter the café. He looked like
some kind of lumberjack. The guy had a backpack slung over his shoulder and was
walking toward the booth in which Anders was sitting. The lumberjack stopped
next to his booth. His physical size and muscular build presented an imposing
figure. When the man sat down across the table from Anders, it surprised the
hell out of him. There was something about his dark, penetrating eyes, the way
they locked onto his. Anders tried to look away, to break the stare, but he
couldn’t.
“We
have important things to discuss, Anders,” the man said.
“How
do you know my name?” Anders asked curtly. He leaned forward and whispered,
“Are you with the Brotherhood?”
“I
knew you’d be here this morning, and I also know the police have a warrant for
your arrest. They don’t like what you and your Brotherhood stand for.”
“Who
are you? What do you want from me?” Anders asked gruffly.
“My
name is Asgeir. I have a mission for you—one that will raise your standing
within the ranks of your Brotherhood. You do something for me, and I’ll keep
the police away from you.” Asgeir reached his right hand across the table.
Anders
felt the warmth of the man’s hand as it gripped his left forearm. But no, it
wasn’t warmth. It was something different, like electricity almost, a sensation
that flowed into the base of his skull and permeated his thoughts. It felt as
if the inside of his head was charged with a pulsing electrical current. A
normal Anders Gustason would never have allowed a complete stranger to get this
familiar, to invade his personal space, to make physical contact. Ever! He
wanted to do something about it. His blood was beginning to boil. The muscles
in his arms tensed. But all he could manage was to sit there—quiet, motionless.
The
electric sensation at the base of Anders’s skull intensified. His thoughts were
slowly blanketed in a silky haze. The noise in the café—the sound of espresso
machines, clanking coffee cups, people’s idle chatter—became a dull blur of
indiscernible background noise. Anders stared into the eyes of the man sitting
across the table from him. Never once did the man move his lips, yet Anders
heard the man’s words inside his head loudly and clearly.
“I
have a mission for you. Two people will come in here later today. They
represent the things you hate the most about the direction this country is taking.
I am giving you the chance to stand up and take your country back from the
hands of people like this, Anders. This is your chance to be a hero, to be the
spear of the Gods.”
A deluge of hatred and violence flooded the inner reaches of Anders’s mind like
a tidal surge, latching on to his darkest of thoughts, the kind that are buried
deep, never to be entertained.
Anders
slowly came out of the fog that had clouded his mind. He looked down at the
table. Various nicks, scratches, and coffee stains all blurred into an obscure
collage. The words that had filled his head stayed with him for a moment. They
were all he could focus on, resonant, deep, and so very clear. The cloudy
rumble of background noise came whooshing back to crystal clarity, the clanking
of coffee cups, the sound of espresso machines, the idle chatter. The miasma
that had clouded his thoughts receded. Anders looked up. The seat across from
him was empty. He didn’t remember seeing the big man leave. What was his name?
He couldn’t remember it. The electric hum that filled his head had dissipated.
Anders
looked at the backpack on the seat next to him. The man had left it for him
with specific instructions on what to do with it. Anders stood, hefted the
backpack over his right shoulder, and exited the coffee shop. He paused to
breathe in the cold morning air. The names and images of the two people he’d
come back for were etched into his brain. Anders Gustason had clarity. He knew
exactly what he needed to do.
About the Author
Harrison Edwards lives in eastern Pennsylvania with his wife and their black Lab, Deacon. Harrison’s writing is a blend of science fiction and urban fantasy. Subject matter for his stories comes from deep interests in science, technology, and mythology. When he’s not compiling and developing ideas for future novels, you can find him composing original works of contemporary instrumental music for his next CD release.
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This is my type of book. Thanks for sharing.
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