The Congregation of Creatures
- Membaca 866
- Vote 61
- Bab 17
"You are under arrest by The Congregation of Creatures... may the Gods have mercy on your soul."
We worked for The Congregation of Creatures. We were the head of the Band of Hunters: the White-Collars. We were legends. People looked up to us in awe.
On a routine arrest for an illegal trade of creatures, Xenia breaks protocol, and is dumped in the middle of nowhere, forced to teach at a school she has no business being at, put on probation until she can prove herself. The enchanting school holds many chilling secrets that will push Xenia to do things she's never had to deal with.
Jake meanwhile finds himself in sticky situations hunting down more law breakers without his partner in crime, and discoveries that would send a shiver down the spines of the fearless. In a compelling tale of creatures, tainted education, and warriors, the two find themselves fighting for what deserves a fight, tangled in a web of secrets, and immersed in an enchanting world of history.
Seluruh Hak Cipta Dilindungi Undang-Undang
#297
accident
Bergabunglah dengan komunitas bercerita terbesarDapatkan rekomendasi cerita yang dipersonalisasi, simpan cerita favoritmu ke perpustakaan, dan berikan komentar serta vote untuk membangun komunitasmu.
anda mungkin juga menyukai
The Jack of Souls (Multi-award winner!)
************************************************************************************** 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.Lengkap
The Art of Blood and Power (Book 2 in The Gifted Trilogy)
As long as people believed that there was a division between the Gifted and the non-Gifted, that one was superior to the other, I wasn't done. As long as there were kings on thrones to reinforce the idea that people like Porter and Briar and everyone else I cared about were unworthy of this world, I wasn't done. "And then," I continued, a resolution forming in my mind. "I'm going to destroy those six thrones." ********************************************** Wren Heatherfield has been through hell and back, surviving the deadly trials of the Garner and claiming the title of Garner Champion. However, her fight is far from over, with the real challenges only just beginning. Adjusting to her new life in the Ember Court with her insufferable enemy-turned-friend Kesserian Cinis, Wren is forced to face the truth of how close the six courts of Naturian are to a civil war, with Nox and Wren leading the opposing sides. But the fight for allies she can trust might turn out to be just as hard as her internal fight: coming to terms with her true identity. With the loyalties and beliefs of her past and present self at war with each other, Wren must decide who she is and what she stands for if she has any hope of surviving this upcoming war. Plagued by nightmares and trauma from her time in the Garner, Wren must find a way to keep moving forward. With the weight of a crumbling nation on her shoulders, Wren has one chance to fix the injustices that plague Naturian and achieve her dreams of toppling tyranny, but the alluring power of the throne might prove too intoxicating for even her to resist. A fight for her loved ones. A fight for the oppressed. A fight to save the remaining good in Naturian. The chains have been released. Now the real fight begins.Lengkap
Gods & Monsters(Excerpt)Published on Amazon(links on profile)
The human race stands on the brink of extinction; the result of a plague the likes of which the world has never seen. When salvation comes, it isn't a miracle cure created by science or our government that saves us. No, our saviors are monsters. Jane appears to be nothing special. In fact, she's a sad sight to behold, afflicted by the sorrow of her tragic past and failing marriage. The young wife and mother of two finds herself just as terrified as every other soul when humanity faces doom. Yet, when hope seems lost, Jane does something even her estranged husband fails to--she fights. And she's not alone. David and his companions are what our world has dismissed as mere legend. Their duty to the human race brings them across the country--and they all know it is no coincidence when they cross paths with Jane. As it happens, Jane is special. She's destined to be the very center of our world's fate. With her heart divided and monsters from every nightmare seeking her out, Jane will quickly learn the greatest war is the one within. So what will she do when they realize she's the greatest monster of them all? ✦Gods & Monsters is the first book of the Gods & Monsters trilogy, an emotional and epic tale of one woman's battle against true monsters while she endures her greatest fight--the war with her own inner-demon. It's a story of loss, tragedy, war, good vs evil--a not so simple love-triangle--and supernatural beings like you've never seen them before.✦ Warning: this is only a sampleLengkap
Whispers in the Shadows: Act I
Once, Lirama believed in redemption. Now, she believes in survival. Bound by blood and shadow to a power that should not speak, she walks the edges of Faerûn-neither servant nor free, both a phylactery and a rebellion. When whispers of an ancient evil rise once more, she knows the truth: this is no war of kingdoms, no tale of heroes. It is rot festering beneath the world's skin. To stop it, she does not call on saints-but on the broken. A cursed assassin hunted by her past. A half-elf torn between night and moonlight. A storm-kissed sorceress who fears what she seeks. A fallen princess crowned in shadow. A charming barbarian fleeing legacy. An oathbreaker who still dreams of justice. Each bears a secret. Each carries a weight. And none of them walk this path for glory. As their blades are drawn and fates entwine, one truth becomes clear: Some wars are not fought in light- they are survived in shadow.Lengkap
Avarice Blacksteel Book 2
Most of us long to "Be" but when the path gets too costly, or steep, we take solace in what we "Have." Remove the trappings of what we own and then what is the sum of us? They were the survivors, abandoned by the allies who swore to protect, in the ultimate gesture of greed and betrayal. Their world plunged into annihilation and chaos. With the passage of years in this blighted landscape order was established anew. Those who had been anonymous before the war found their will to rule, those who had experienced the comforts and ease of western life, thrust into darkness and despair. This brutal conflict had awoken those long sleeping, those who had ceased to care, those of immense power, the ones entrusted with the safe keeping of the often volatile mankind. Although their parallel world too was at risk, lethargy and arrogance ruled them. Against the backdrop of this savage landscape the saga of three such tribes of survivors unfold, and the unwitting chosen among them. One tribe sought to prosper via savagery, one by organized military might, and the other who ruled with no more than fairness and love. Three tribes thrown together, competing for the limited resources to survive, in a world teetering on the brink of total decimation. Driven by human avarice.Lengkap
For Her Favor
"This man had sought revenge for me and made a spectacle for it. He had protected my crown. He also answered my questions vaguely and I was nowhere closer to figuring him out than when he first arrived, but I was drawn to him. Like an addict to a drug, damn I wanted to be close to him. I wanted his touch. There was no sane explanation for it, it was just a want, a need." Princess Esme was never supposed to be Queen, but when tradgedy strikes in her Fae kingdom, she is forced to bear the crown. In Amoria, the Kingdom of Love and Life, she must battle with the patriarchy now to keep it. They want a king on the throne and she wants a chance at true love like the rest of her people. To placate the nobles in her kingdom that have a grip on her power, she agrees to the Battle of Hearts-a competition where eligible princes from other kingdoms compete for her favor and to be named king. Everything Esme knows is about to be challenged and not everything will be as it seems. In the end she'll have to choose; her kingdom or her heart.Lengkap
Lumien
A group of young people with different races and cultures, altogether united for one important mission. They are the only key to save their precious world Lumien from the upcoming chaos that will befall them. What are the truths that unfolds within? Will they be able to succeed in their mission? *** "Lumien is a special place that holds deep in our hearts. And no one can ever take our home from us no matter what. We may be different from each other, we may have water and oil relationships with each other for centuries, we may argue, fight, do unforgiving things but it still didn't change the fact that we all love Lumien. We will fight for our rights and nothing can stop us, no one can steal and control Lumien, not even you, Darkxyney, the Demon-God." Darkxyney laughed and mocked them for his stupid remark. "Bring it on! Even if you have the other weak legendary dragons, hah! Even if you locate that good-for-nothing White Dragon Empress, I will still win and rule over Lumien and then the whole universe! I'll finally be able to replace my darn mother for being the Universe Goddess!" she laughed evilly as if she had won. Everyone looked uneasy as they felt Darkxyney was stronger than before. But the chosen one and his comrades were the ones who stood firm and didn't shiver. "Everyone! Protect Lumien!" Language: TAGLISH Genre: Fantasy/Adventure ALL RIGHTS RESERVED @2022
Heir Ascending
She's a force, a fire that destroys all. But so is he. The saying goes to fight fire with fire. But what happens when it's not a war that fire feeds from, but passion? With danger at every turn, Eden must accept her own power all while battling an attraction to someone whose secrets are perhaps darker than her own. In a world left in ruins, humanity clings to divisioned survival under the rule of the Visitors. But these invader's reign is threatened when a new breed of super-humans emerges, possessing abilities beyond the Visitors themselves. Eden Monportor, a sheltered teenager from the Government Division, is drafted in the annual Selection ceremony, after almost 100 years of search troops searching for artefacts that may destroy everything. Along with enigmatic Kim Wendlas, comedic Draxorous Pennytheter, and charismatic yet cruel Oliver Casterson, they got drafted, they must fight and now they must ascend. Love guides, Love destroys and Love lies. It doesn't help when you're looking for the paragon of deceit. Love cripples and love blinds, but love is also overwhelming power and unspeakable joy. How can something so pure hurt people so terribly? Well, in simple, teenagers have access to this love. And when fire and ice clash, so does the love that freezes and burns within them. The 7-month timer has started, and so has the beginning of this thrilling dystopian and fantasy-romance novel that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.Lengkap
************************************************************************************** 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.
Detail lengkapPanduan Muatan