Long ago, a species called Pokémon inhabited every corner of the earth, from the depths of the ocean to the atmosphere. They roamed the fields and swam in ponds. They rested in trees and flew overhead. They even thrived alongside humans, or so research says. The Pokémon then vanished without a trace. They left nothing behind except the technology that people had used to study them. Those machines now decorated museums all across the lone country named Inridia in order to immerse the population in the history of the world. The humans that lived during that same time period were also never seen or heard from again. Frost Statice -- son of a wealthy politician and student at one of Inridia's most prestigious academies -- was skeptic to believe the old stories. He thought they were nothing more than myths, for how could such a race have existed in such an ordinary universe? But when Frost encounters one of the creatures first hand, his perspective is forced to change. To uncover the truth behind the Pokémon's disappearance, he must dig deep into the history of Inridia itself. -------- ♔ 1st Place in the Adventure Category of the 2018 Pokémon Watty Awards ♔ Highest Ranking: #5 in Adventure, #5 in Action ♔ Best Protagonist, Most Deserving of a Sequel, and Pushing Boundaries in the 2018 Pokémon Watty Awards -------- ♔ Cover credit goes to the amazing @ImberLapis

To read the NEW & IMPROVED version of this story, search for "Travis & The Labyrinth" on Amazon.com. This all-new version has been fully revised and includes fresh content to make the story even better! A Wattpad Featured Story, Highest Rank: #3 in Adventure! (Cover Art by @permafrost - Read permafrost's stories here: https://www.wattpad.com/user/permafrost)

************************************************************************************** An outcast rogue must break a curse put on his fate, or die on his nineteenth birthday. To survive, he'll need the sword of a maiden, the aid of an immortal, and the power of forbidden magic that could cost him the only girl he ever loved. ************************************************************************************ *** THE JACK OF SOULS won a Silver IPPY this year! *** THE JACK OF SOULS won 1st place in the PNWA Competition in Fantasy! * *** THE JACK OF SOULS won 1st place in the Southwest Writers competition! * *** A "Featured Book" on Wattpad! * *** Now a "Staff Pick" on Kickstarter! * *** Available on Amazon in paper, hardback, and ebook ! * *** My contract with Kindle Select won't allow me to post more than 3 chapters here, but... *** Sign up for my newsletter on stephenmerlino.com for alerts when it's free on Amazon! * MY INSPIRATION I wrote this out of pure love of trickster rogues; I love the wit over brawn motif -- Odysseus over Achilles, Raven over Eagle -- so I like to play with it in my stories. In JOS I set the rogue and con-artist Harric against a foil of warriors in a land threatened by magic and civil war. Whenever possible I turn familiar tropes on their heads: instead of a handsome young Lancelot, I cast a broken-down ex-champion addicted to pain-killing herbs; instead of a dashing Squire Brian, the old knight reluctantly takes an ambitious young woman as squire. Similarly, I re-imagine the standard medieval milieu by infusing aspects of two of my favorite historical periods, Elizabethan England, and The American Frontier. Both eras boast a kind of nationalistic arrogance that borders on hubris, and a magnificent spirit of resourcefulness and re-invention that is fun to play with. SERIES The Jack of Souls is first in a series. I am posting parts of the sequel here now (The Knave of Souls), to help me refine the story.

Time is a burden we can't escape. But it holds no power over a chaotic fire nymph. Marsais is adrift after sacrificing his bond to save the faerie he loves. Now he must save the realm from shadow, only there's one catch-his mind is cracking. As he slips further into madness, a malevolent force is unleashed on the Isle of Wise Ones, forcing him down a desperate path. A land of death hides a sliver of hope, but an old enemy pursues him over the seas, and those loyal to Marsais begin to question his judgment. The crew is mutinous, the sea is furious, and all his careful plotting is thrown to the winds when a harbinger of chaos appears on deck. A character-driven high fantasy novel with coming-of-age themes, pyromaniac faerie, and friends-to-lovers tropes. Previously published as The Broken God. A story of innocence and brutality, of love and loss, and courage and hope. It contains mature subject matter. For a list of content warnings: visit www.sabrinaflynn.com This story contains two sample chapters of God of Ash which is available in its complete form on all online stores.

✴︎Featured on Wattpad✴︎ Born into slavery, bound by Fate, and forbidden to love. One faerie will do anything to be free. It's not easy being a child of chaos. Disaster follows Isiilde wherever she goes, but that's the least of her problems-she's a faerie trapped in a realm of humans. And worse yet, she's a nymph. Destined to be sold when she comes of age, Isiilde breaks into the vault of a powerful immortal to steal coin for her escape. But, instead of finding treasure, she (accidentally) releases a fiend into the realm. As penance for her crime, the immortal tasks her with capturing the fiend. Only events quickly spiral out of control amid political scheming, power-hungry madmen, and three kingdoms bidding for her ownership. One lone nymph stands at the center of destruction, with her heart bound to a man as mysterious as her strange affinity with fire. Isiilde is far more than she seems. And so is the man who wins her heart. Fate doesn't stand a chance against a chaotic fire nymph. A character-driven high fantasy novel with coming-of-age themes, pyromaniac faerie, and friends-to-lovers tropes. Previously published as A Thread in the Tangle. A story of innocence and brutality, of love and loss, and courage and hope. It contains mature subject matter. For a list of content warnings: visit www.sabrinaflynn.com This story contains sample chapters of the first book in a series that is available on all online stores.