The following is the 3rd chapter (draft) from Book II of the Prophecy Trilogy, “The Dark Queen”:

“Doran, we need to talk now!” Sarah stated vehemently as she pressed the intercom button to the cockpit.

“Judging by the unpleasant tone in your voice, I’m not sure that’s a good idea seeing as to how I’m flying the plane and all,” Doran replied back sarcastically.

“Just open the door!”

Doran complied reluctantly as Sarah entered the cockpit and sat down in the co-pilot’s chair.

“Do tell.  What is the emergency?” he asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the sky in front of him.

“Dr. Nemitz is…was,” she corrected herself, “my grandfather???”

“Yes,” Doran responded in his thick Scottish accent.

“When were you planning to tell me?”

Doran took a deep breath and sighed. “Well, I suppose now seems like a good time.”

“You think?” Sarah retorted. “I’m tired of being kept in the dark, Doran.  If I’m going to be a part of this team then I want to know everything; about Nemitz, the Guardians, our mission…”

There was a long silence in the cockpit as Sarah waited impatiently for a response.  Doran had actually hoped Dr. Nemitz would have filled her in better, but that’s the way it had always been with him.  The good doctor gave out ‘pieces’ of information, but the only one who ever had the privilege of knowing the entire plan was himself.  Doran decided he owed the daughter of Alyssa Walker more than that.

“You’re right,” he conceded. “No more secrets or half-truths.  Ask me anything.”

Sarah was surprised by Doran’s quick surrender.  After her first impression of him at the cabin, she expected the great grandson of Artair to be more stubborn.

“How exactly am I related to Nemitz?” she asked, feeling slightly more at ease.

“He’s your grandfather, on your father’s side.  I’m sure you’re aware that Albert, Dr. Nemitz that is, sent someone to protect your mother when Sadeana was born?”

“He mentioned it,” Sarah replied, thinking back to their conversation the night she met Sadeana. “Dr. Nemitz told me that my mother fell in love with a man while she was living in Hallows End and that he was my father.”

“That’s correct.  I take it the good doctor didn’t mention that this man also happened to be his son, Tobias?”

“No,” Sarah responded, the frustration in her voice apparent. “He neglected to tell me that.”

“Aye, no surprise there.  After Tobias’s disappearance, Albert rarely spoke of him.  He was too devastated; Tobias was his only child.”

“Tobias Nemitz.” Sarah spoke the words out loud so that she could hear her father’s full name for the first time.  In truth, she didn’t harbor any strong feelings over not knowing him; her step-father was all the father figure she’d ever needed growing up.  Still, she couldn’t help but be curious about the man who’d contributed to half of her genetics.

“What was he like?” she asked.

“He was a good friend; probably my best friend.  Loyal; Always good for a laugh; Dashing, I suppose,” Doran chuckled.  He turned his head toward Sarah so that his eyes could make contact with hers.

“You look like him, ya’ know?  Sure, you have your mother’s dark hair, her green eyes…but I can tell Tobias’s ‘fire’, his passion, burns within you.  I saw that the moment you walked into the cabin.”

Sarah half-smiled, thinking that ‘fire’ was just a nice way to say she had his temper.

“What happened to him?”

“A few days before your mother found out she was pregnant, your father and I had to leave on a small mission outside of the U.S.  There was a rumor spreading that a dragon had been spotted in the Pir Panjal Mountain Range near the border of India and Pakistan.  We also had, on good authority, that there were Lemurian forces gathering in that same general area; so Tobias and I went to investigate.”

We spent weeks in those mountains and found nothing, not a dragon nor even a single Lemurian.  Tobias still wanted to check out one more lead in Northern Pakistan and I had to check in with the Order so, we agreed to rendezvous back in the States afterward…only, he never made it back.”

Sarah stared out the window and imagined what her father might look like if he was still alive.  She started to picture a man in his early 60’s, but realized that might not be accurate given he was the son of a sorcerer.

“How old was Dr. Nemitz, er, my grandfather?” The word ‘grandfather’ didn’t exactly roll off Sarah’s tongue.  Her brief relationship with him had mostly consisted of him keeping secrets and deceiving her.

“Hmmm…I don’t really know,” Doran replied. “Several hundred years old, I imagine.  I know my father, Doran II, met him back when they were young rebels infiltrating the Holy Roman Empire during the early 1500’s.”

“Does that mean that my father or I, for that matter, will age slower?”

“I’m afraid not.  I don’t know a great deal about sorcerers, but here’s what Albert told me.  The only way a sorcerer can live longer than the average human is by surrounding themselves with immortal beings.  Somehow, a sorcerer can tap into an immortal’s life energy without actually draining it from them.”

Sarah imagined that had to play a part in Dr. Nemitz’ motivation for founding a town for immortals.

“As the legend goes,” Doran continued, “it was one of the last living Gods, an Atlantian by the name of Paeon, who engineered the sorcerer ‘gene’ into a handful of humans.  It was an attempt to create a more symbiotic relationship between humankind and immortals.  However, the gene turned out to be recessive, and only presents itself in every third generation.  Good to know should you decide to have children someday.”

The thought of having children wasn’t anywhere close on Sarah’s radar.  She was about to switch gears and ask about their mission, but there was one more question burning in the back of her mind.

“Did you love my mother?” Sarah remembered Tom mentioning the two of them possibly being romantically involved.

“That I did,” Doran affirmed. “I always did.  Even when Tobias was still around I loved her, though of course, I didn’t say anything.  Your father and I were close friends and I didn’t want to risk our friendship over what I imagined was just a bad case of ‘puppy love’ at the time.”

“Puppy love, huh?” Sarah wasn’t buying it.

“Well…after Tobias disappeared and your mother left Hallows End with you, I realized just how much I did truly love her.  I never told anyone else, but I remember promising myself that should I ever get a chance to see your mother again, that I would tell her how I really felt.”

“And when she returned to Hallows End?”

“Those were the happiest years of my life.” Doran’s eyes glazed over as he replayed the memories of him and Alyssa together in his mind.

After another long period of silence, Sarah began feeling uncomfortable and decided she was ready to move on to current events.

“So, now that I know all that, let’s talk about the mission.”  Sarah leaned forward in her chair and looked out the front windshield, realizing she had never been in the cockpit of a jet before.  It was actually quite exciting. “Angelique mentioned that we’re heading to D.C. to meet up with this Agent Rose guy.  Is he arranging for our flight to Romania?”

“Sort of,” Doran replied. “We’ll actually be flying to London from D.C., where we’ll be splitting up into groups.”

“I see.” Sarah’s gaze moved over to Doran.  She could definitely see how it was that her mother fell for him.  He had a rather ‘rugged’ appearance with his beard and unkempt hair, but underneath that it was obvious he was a very handsome man. “Why are we splitting up?”

“Before we go knocking on the Dark Queen’s doorstep, there are a few things we need to get in place.  I’ll be travelling with Brittany to St. Andrews in Scotland.  She’ll be disguised as Sadeana just long enough for me to pay one last visit to the Order in hopes of discovering their true intentions for the child of prophecy.”

“I thought their plan was to kill her?”

“Aye, that’s the popular theory.  However, we don’t know that for sure and we need to find out if they have any alternative motives for wanting your sister.  Odessa has her claws deep within many powerful organizations; it’s entirely possible that she’s pulling the Order’s strings as well.”

“That seems like a big risk to take.”

“It is.  But I have close friends on the inside; friends that have helped me avoid being found out about for the last hundred years.  The only reason the Order accepted me into their cult was because they believed I might be able to find the child of prophecy.  Should I not return, anyone who was close to me will surely be killed.  By going back one more time I can get the information we need and escape with those who have been loyal to our cause.”

“And the rest of us?” Sarah could feel her protective instincts kicking in as she waited for Doran to explain what his plans for Sadeana were.

“You’ll be visiting the high councils of the immortal races to let them know that we’ve secured the child of prophecy.  In the past, we’ve simply asked them to send representation to our headquarters in Vienna, but if war is coming that won’t be enough.  We must have an audience with every member of their respective councils, and the only way that will happen is for us to go to them.

Mason will be staying in London to speak with the High Council of Vampyres.  They’ve never been very supportive, but we must try, given the circumstances.  Josh and Marie are heading to Cairo to meet with the Lycan Council.  I would normally join them, but they should do fine on their own; we have many friends within the Lycan community.  You, Angelique and Sadeana will be traveling to the Island of Crete to visit the Siren Council.  I realize it’s not ideal to send Sadeana anywhere right now, but she’ll be safest with you.”

Sarah didn’t like the idea of splitting up, though she understood the reasoning behind it.  Time was not a luxury the Guardians had any longer.  Odessa had surely received word by now that the ‘demon’ army had failed at the cabin, and now Sadeana was out in the open where she would be easier to catch.

“And after we’ve secured what support we can from the councils, then do we travel to Romania?” she asked.  “Will it just be us or are we expecting the immortal councils to lend us soldiers for our mission to the Black Peak?”

“First we’ll rendezvous at our headquarters in Vienna.  The Atlantean Council is located there and can protect Sadeana while the rest of us head to the Black Peak.  It will just be the six of us, for now; the war will have to wait until we know better what the Dark Queen’s agenda is and whether or not we’re successful in killing Keara.”

“What exactly do we hope to gain if I take Keara’s place in the prophecy?”

“Our fundamental strategy has always been to stop Odessa from getting the children of prophecy.  She already has half of what she perceives she needs in Keara and that’s dangerously close to her accomplishing her goal.  If we can take that away from her then it’s a step in the right direction.”

“I get that, but it seems like we’re setting ourselves up for an eternal game of ‘cat and mouse’.  At some point we’re going to have to take Odessa down, right?”

“Aye.  Eventually we will have to put an end to Odessa and her Lamiai.  Accomplishing that feat, however, brings its own unfathomable challenges.  It could easily cost every Guardian his or her life.  Not to mention that while the immortal councils have been somewhat supportive of our cause in keeping the children of prophecy from her, an assassination of the only living Titan on Earth might not be so easily approved.  The Guardians are not our own military task force; they are meant to serve the best interests of both immortals and humans.”

Sarah could understand the politics that were at play, though she had never had much patience for them. “I’m surprised Odessa hasn’t risen up previously.”

“She’s tried a couple of times over the Millennia.  The only thing that’s stopped her is the Atlantians.  You see, after the fall of Lemuria and Atlantis, the remaining Atlantians abandoned the views of their creator, Poseidon, and instead followed more in the footsteps of Zeus.  They became the protectors, if you will, of the human race.  That’s the reason “Angels” have been depicted with such favorable imagery among human religion.”

“And Odessa really believes that having the children of prophecy is what’s going to make the difference for her this time around?” Sarah questioned. “Tom mentioned something about the weapon of Atlantis and that Odessa might have it in her possession.  Is there anything that connects the children of prophecy to it?”

“None that we’re aware of, but you’re right to be questioning the Dark Queen’s motives.  Even though we’ve never been able to confirm it, we suspect she has both dragons and a formidable Lemurian army at her disposal.  The only logical explanation for her stalling then is if she believes she needs something more to guarantee her victory.  Regardless of the power that Sadeana might have, it’s hard to believe that she would make enough of a difference to sway the outcome of such an epic conflict.”

“Unless Odessa has recovered the weapon of Atlantis and for some reason needs Sadeana to power it?”

“Indeed.  That’s the real question, isn’t it?”

Learn more about the Trilogy Prophecy by checking out Book I: “Hallows End” (A Sarah Chase Novel)

The following is the 2nd chapter (draft) from Book II of the Prophecy Trilogy, “The Dark Queen”:

Sarah’s gaze danced upon the white clouds in the morning sky as she stared out the window of Dr. Nemitz’ private jet. Her thoughts had been drifting in and out since they’d boarded the plane in San Francisco en route to their next destination, Washington D.C. Doran had encouraged everyone to get some rest during the flight, but Sarah was much too alert for sleep.

Turning her head back toward the jet’s interior, she observed Sadeana sleeping soundly in the cushy, leather seat facing her. Sarah still couldn’t get used to the idea that this young woman, who appeared to be barely twenty years old, was actually her older sister. For a brief moment, Sarah imagined what it would have been like had her mother decided to stay in Hallows End rather than move to Portland; to have shared a childhood with her sister and grown up around immortals.

Sarah glanced over at Brittany and Mason sitting across the aisle way, both of them appearing to be sleeping as well. She thought about Brittany having lost her mother recently and how tough an experience that was when she’d gone through it. For so many years, Sarah had harbored a substantial amount of anger toward her mother for disappearing. Now that she knew the truth, she was finally experiencing some much needed closure on the subject.

“If you’re planning to stare at me next…don’t.”

Mason’s deep voice startled Sarah.  She hadn’t noticed it previously, but was fairly certain that she was detecting an English accent.  He was wearing dark sunglasses making it difficult for Sarah to see his eyes, though clearly he was now awake. If not for having saved her life when she was younger, Sarah would have thought Mason to be one of the most intimidating individuals she had ever met. He was well over six feet tall, wore a long black overcoat with leather boots, and had a scar on the top of his shaved head the size of an ax blade. He also had several tattoos of lions on his arms and neck that were only slightly darker than his ebony colored skin.

“Do you remember me?” Sarah felt herself hold her breath as Mason shifted in his seat.

“Of course I do, Ms. Chase.”

Silence filled the small interior of the jet as Sarah contemplated what to ask him next. She had spent less than 24 hours with the Guardians and already she could tell that Mason wasn’t exactly the warmest of personalities. She studied him for a moment, taking notice of his unkempt goatee and the scar atop his bald head.

“So, what was the deal?” Sarah continued, her eyes fixed upon him. “Did Dr. Nemitz send you to be my bodyguard or something?”

“Dr. Nemitz wanted me to keep you safe,” he replied. “After that night, however, I told him that you needed to learn how to protect yourself. That’s why I left you Kayman’s card.”

Sarah’s mind quickly flashed back to the night she was attacked in front of her apartment building in Eastern Los Angeles. She had already sustained a couple of broken ribs and a concussion when Mason suddenly appeared out of the shadows to take down her attackers. He left only a few moments after having dropped her off at the hospital, but the next day she woke up to a vase of blue orchids sitting next to her bed along with the card of a local mixed martial arts master.

“Why didn’t you train me instead?”

“Kayman is a much better teacher than I am,” he responded gruffly. “Besides, I’m not fond of teenagers.”

“Don’t let him fool you,” Sarah turned around to see Angelique sitting in the next row of seats, her head buried in a harlequin romance novel. “Mason’s not very fond of anything.”

“That’s not true,” he retorted, “I’m fond of being alone.”

“Were you born a vampire?” Sarah asked him. She was determined to learn more about the man who had saved her life. All these years she had held on to the fantasy that he was her ‘knight in shining armor’, as silly as she knew that sounded. The reality, however, was not matching up with her illusion.

“Vampires are the only immortal species that aren’t born into what we are, with the exception of the occasional werewolf,” Mason replied, annoyed. “We’re a cursed species; a blasphemized version of the Dark Queen’s treasured Lamiai race.”

“How did they…”

“Listen,” Mason interrupted. “I’m not really the story telling type. All you need to know is that I’m angry at the world for what I am and that translates into someone pretty good to have on your side.”

“Most immortals,” Angelique spoke up as she placed her book on her lap, “are very proud of our heritage and history. Sarah, my dear; why don’t you come sit next to me and leave ‘Mr. Mason’ to his brooding.”

Sarah was disappointed with the results of her attempted interview of Mason and decided that a fresh start with a more willing participant was in order. She sat down in the chair facing Angelique while Josh and Marie remained sleeping on the other side of the small aisle way.

“So, my dear, how are you holding up?” Angelique’s eyes were soft and kind. She had long black hair and light brown skin that was aptly displayed thanks to her low cut, aqua marine dress. The dress matched her eyes which Sarah could have sworn reflected the ocean within them.

“Me? Fine…I guess.” Sarah didn’t necessarily believe that, but it sounded good. She didn’t feel like being the one interviewed, however, so she quickly shifted the conversation to Angelique.

“You’re a siren, correct?”

“Yes. The ‘Siren of Destruction’ as Doran likes to put it.”

“What are your ‘special abilities’?” Sarah asked, slightly embarrassed to hear her question spoken out loud; she imagined she sounded like some teenage boy talking about superheroes in a comic book.

“Sirens are able to transform our bodies into a liquid state for short amounts of time. We also have extremely powerful vocal abilities, in song, persuasion and, when necessary, destruction.”

“Are you from…around here?”

“Most of my family lives in Chile, though our line originates from the island of Crete. Sirens were actually the first species Poseidon created, his initial intent being that our race would populate his beloved kingdom of Atlantis. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful at creating a male version of our species that could survive after the mating process.” Angelique paused for a moment to allow for a slightly devious effect.

“As a result, we became a failure in his eyes. That’s when Poseidon created the Valkryie or ‘Angel’ race, if you will, in the image of both him and his Queen, Nike. The Siren race was then cast aside, forever cursed to see the male members of our species sacrifice themselves in order to continue our existence.”

“Yikes,” Sarah responded with widened eyes, “that’s a bit rough.”

“Makes love a tricky thing amongst our race,” Angelique continued, “though at least our men can say they die happily.” Sarah couldn’t help but laugh at Angelique’s comment.

“How did all of you, the Guardians I mean, come together?” Sarah curled her legs underneath herself as she rearranged her position in her chair. There was something about Angelique that she found incredibly absorbing.

“In the mood for a story are we?” Angelique’s voice sounded as if it had the ring of the ocean within it every time she spoke. “Well, first of all, I must tell you that only the good doctor and Doran really call us ‘The Guardians’. I know it sounds very noble and all, but a few of us, myself included, probably aren’t worthy of such grand titles.”

Sarah got a confused look on her face, but made no attempt to interrupt.

“I’m actually a professional thief, my dear, though I like to think of myself as the female version of Robin Hood. I’ve stolen from some of the most corrupt men on this planet and redistributed their wealth, if you will, to those less fortunate. Of course, I do keep a piece for myself so I’m hardly a Saint. Dr. Nemitz heard about me through his friend at the FBI, Agent Rose. He knew I was a siren and he came to me with an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“Which was?” Sarah asked with intrigue.

“Ha, look at the Police Detective getting all excited about hearing more about your law breaking ways.” Josh had woken up and was now sitting upright, amused by Sarah’s interest in Angelique’s back story.

“I…was just asking Angelique about how all of you came together.”

“Oh, I heard.” Josh grinned. “Do continue with your story, Angie.”

“Anyway,” Angelique glared at Josh, “Dr. Nemitz offered me a large sum of money if I would come to Hallows End for the weekend to hear about a special cause that he was recruiting for. I told him I wasn’t the ‘cause joining’ type, but I’m also not a girl who can resist an easy score. By the end of the weekend, for reasons I still can’t completely explain, I gave the good doctor his money back and became one of the first members of the Guardians.”

“I remember that weekend,” Josh chimed in. “Marie and I were there along with Doran, Mason, William, a few others and…your father” he paused momentarily, allowing for Sarah to process the fact that her father had been a member of the Guardians. She regretted not having asked Dr. Nemitz more about her father when she had the chance. After she learned that Elise had killed the good doctor, she worried that no one else would be able to fill her in on who her father was and what had happened to him. Now that Josh had informed her that he had been a member of the Guardians her hope returned.

“There were more of us back then,” he continued. “about fifteen, actually. Everyone who came that weekend joined the cause…except for one.” Josh’s demeanor suddenly changed, his smile fading. Marie, who had also woken up, reached over to comfort him as her hand touched his.

“Who didn’t join?” Sarah asked.

Josh swallowed hard before answering.

“My brother, Jacob. I had convinced him to come with Marie and me to Hallows End. I told him that it was a chance for us to make up for Lucifer’s poor decisions of the past and the many mistakes our race has made since; that it was an opportunity to restore the nobility once prominent among the Lemurian bloodline that Hades himself brought into this world.”

Josh paused for a second as he took a deep breath and scratched his eyebrow.

“Well, half way through the conference Jacob got upset when our mission was revealed. He shouted at me that no Lemurian should ever take up arms against the mother of our race. I tried to explain to him that Odessa had given up on the Lemurian race eons ago, but he wouldn’t listen. Instead he called me a traitor and…I haven’t heard from him since.”

“Lemuria was the Kingdom of your ancestors, correct?” Sarah asked, remembering the stories that Dr. Nemitz and Tom had told to her.

“Yes; unfortunately, Lemuria is simply spoken of now as if it were a myth; an excusable offense by the human race, but not one that should be accepted by Lemurians. Instead, my race now refers to themselves as the ‘demon race’, a term first coined by none other than Poseidon himself. It was not complimentary back then and it certainly shouldn’t be used to refer to our race now.”

Sarah’s face suddenly turned red. “I’m so sorry; when I first met you at the cabin; I didn’t mean to.”

“Ah, no worries,” Josh replied. “As I said, for a human to use the term is understandable; you don’t know any different. All your life I’m sure that you believed Lemuria to be a fairy tale, just like Atlantis.

Sarah thought to herself that she had actually never even heard of Lemuria before her arrival to Hallows End.

“Still,” she insisted, “I shall be sure to refer to you and your kind as Lemurians from this moment forward. I may be human, but I can no longer claim ignorance as an excuse.”

“Oh, you might still meet a few of us you’d prefer to call demons,” Josh teased. “Those gentlemen we ran into at the cabin, for instance. It’s taken thousands of years for their particular denomination to breed themselves into a bunch of hulking, raging warriors. As you can tell by my appearance, however, not all Lemurians are of that sort.”

Sarah admitted that Josh looked nothing like the demons they had encountered at the cabin, nor the ones that she had read about in the journals of Artair. Josh was well under six foot with handsome features, a head full of hair and a much slighter build. The way he moved in combat, as Sarah had observed, was more reminiscent of a ninja than a barbarian.

“What about you, Marie?” Sarah looked in Josh’s wife’s direction. “I heard Doran refer to you as the ‘resident Angel’; are you truly an angel?”

Unlike Angelique’s long flowing locks, Marie’s dark blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail, giving her a ‘girl-next-door’ kind of look. She had an extremely kind face with light features and hazel eyes that made Sarah feel as though she could instantly trust her.

“My race has been called that, yes. Unlike the term ‘demon’, angel is actually quite complimentary. Those of my ancestors who survived the destruction of our home, Atlantis, populated much of what civilization now refers to as Europe. Though our roots were rather war-like, we eventually became a very peaceful race.”

“Can you fly?” Sarah asked.

“Indeed I can. My wings appear as tattoos on my back that emerge when I call upon them to do so. I’ll have to show you some time.”

“Have any of you met this Agent Rose that we’re on our way to meet up with?” Sarah was very curious about him considering that Sadeana had mentioned to her just before they had reached the cabin that he was on standby to take her place on the Guardians if she declined the ‘opportunity’.

“Rose is an FBI Agent who Dr. Nemitz befriended several years ago,” Angelique responded, “Handsome fellow. Might be your type, although I doubt we’ll stay in D.C long enough for you to get to know him very well.” Sarah looked at Angelique like she was crazy.

“Oh I’m terribly sorry dear. Are you shy? Or, are boys not your thing? I certainly didn’t mean to offend you if…”

“No,” Sarah laughed, “I like boys just fine. It’s just, I’m a little focused on the mission, that’s all.”

“Ah, my dear,” Angelique leaned over and placed both her hands on Sarah’s knees. “If we can’t take time to have a little fun once in a while then what’s the point, right?”
“Perhaps some of us don’t like playing as much as you Angelique.”

Angelique rolled her eyes at Mason’s sarcasm coming from the next aisle over.

“I have to admit,” Sarah interjected as she tried to change the topic, “it’s a little intimidating being among so many of you who have these incredible gifts.”

“Now, dear,” Angelique squeezed Sarah’s knees, “surely the granddaughter of a great sorcerer has some rather impressive gifts as well?”

Sarah suddenly got an extremely confused look on her face and withdrew from Angelique. “Granddaughter of a sorcerer?”

“And this is why I pretend to sleep.” Mason stated dryly.

“Oh,” Angelique looked extremely sheepish. “Oh my goodness, I had no idea Sarah. I’m so sorry. It was not my place to disclose…”

“Disclose what???” Sarah questioned rather aggressively.

Angelique leaned forward and answered Sarah in a near whisper.

“Dr. Nemitz was your grandfather.”

Learn more about the Trilogy Prophecy by checking out Book I: “Hallows End” (A Sarah Chase Novel)