Category: Fantasy Publisher: Createspace
ISBN-10: 1453646264
Type: Fiction
Pages: 288
Copyright: July 20, 2010
ISBN-13: 9781453646267
The Chevalier du Morte, Grand Master of the Poor Knights of Solomon's Temple, Order of the Red Cross of Gold, must call upon the powers of the Abyss in order to restore Sister Meredith's sanity. She has fallen victim of her own magick and that of her estranged daughter, Nicole. Meredith has chosen Lucio Dambretti as her reluctant King to her imagined Queen of Babylon role. Mark's brother, Luke, anxiously awaits the arrival of Merry's baby and Mark prays for the return of his own son, John Paul. Things do not go well when Carlisle Corrigan, Knight of the Temple, falls under the influence of the dreaded Skull of Sidon and he is led astray in more ways when his presumably lost apprentice makes a surprise appearance. To add to Mark's troubles, Omar Adam Kadif has found his calling as the New Prophet of Allah.
My Hope is in God is the fifteenth book in the Assassin Chronicles.History tells us that the Knights Templar were disbanded on Friday the 13th of October 1307 when the King of France conspired with the Pope to have them rounded up, arrested and imprisoned on spurious charges of heresy, blasphemy and other crimes. But the King was not quite successful. Some of them escaped. Some of them thrived and some have lived a long, long time. In fact, an entire sub-order called the Red Cross of Gold is still operating in the twenty-first century behind the scenes, waiting for Armageddon and the return of Christ when they plan to fight the Anti-Christ at his side.
Mark Andrew Ramsay, the Chevalier du Morte, Knight of Death is one of twelve members of the semi-immortal members of the ruling council of the Order of the Red Cross of Gold. He is a reclusive Scot with a grumpy personality who spends most of his time in the lowlands of Scotland where he works as alchemist, assassin and Knight of Death for the Order. He provides them the financial means to support their global operations, he makes sure that the members of the Order stay in line and he releases the souls of his semi-immortal Brothers when the need arises.
Excerpt
“And then what happened?” Merry asked him when he had his cup of tea in his hands and Christopher had left them.
“Ahh. Then a terrible thing happened. Luke, here, was born. And Adar was not ready. He did not want to come out of hiding. He was afraid that his brother would find him in his helpless state of infancy. Luke’s mother tried to make him be born, but he refused and she died.”
Luke sputtered and spit his wine out on the carpet before breaking into a coughing fit.
Lemarik looked at him in astonishment and then shrugged.
“Luke’s father took him away and left his mother alone in her bed. The midwife was a wise woman of the Highlands and she knew the ways of the ancient Healers. She took Adar from his mother with a silver knife,” Lemarik smiled and held up his tea. “She presented him to Luke’s father, but he was not happy. He blamed my father for the death of his wife. A terrible thing. Terrible for Adar. He did not mean to kill the woman, but such is the way of the world. And that is how Adar came to be Mark Andrew Ramsay brother of Luke Matthew Ramsay.”
“Thot is one verra, verra toll tale, my friend,” Luke told him darkly.
“It sounds like a myth,” Merry said excitedly. “And then what happened?”
“Luke’s father sent them off to the crusades to free the Holy Lands of the Christians from the hands of the Infidels. And everything after that has occurred as you know it, Uncle, with the exception of the years you were dead and do not remember.”
Luke choked again. “Spes mea in deo est. Wot years wud thot be, friend?”
“The years between when what was was and what is is.” Lemarik waved one hand in dismissal.
“You mean between 2000 and 2060?” Merry’s face lit up.
“Yes. Yes. Yes. I believe that is the way you would reckon it. I do not count years. It is immaterial to me. One year is much like another. It is only what we do that matters, not how many times the sun rises or the sun sets or the moon waxes or the moon wanes. Time is just a matter for old men to worry with. It means nothing to the young and it means nothing to the dead. Everything in between is what counts.”
“But I have a question for you.” Merry sat up in the chair and drew her feet under her, spreading the purple robe over like a blanket.
“Merry.” Luke held up his hand. “Perhaps now is not a good time to ask questions.” Merry was shocked. It was the first time she had ever known Luke to lose his Scottish brogue. He sounded exactly like Mark Andrew. He spoke very slowly and the expression on his face was one that she could not believe. Luke was afraid. Luke Matthew, who as far as she had known, was afraid of nothing, was afraid of the wizard. “Perhaps you should be going to bed now. You would over tax yourself and that is not good for you or the baby.”
“Ohhh. Just one question?” Lemarik looked at Luke. “One question would not hurt. I will answer one question and then she may go to her bed.”
“You say that Mark Andrew used to be Adar before he came to this world as a man. My question is... what was he before he was a man?”
“He was the god of Saturn, also called Ninib by his worshippers. He was the god of death and darkness and Lord of Hunters. He knows the ways of the Ancient Ones and the demons which live in the shadows of the Abyss. His is the color of blackness and he usurped Ishtar’s love from the god of the moon, Nanna, by showing her the wonders of darkness. That was when Marduk became jealous for he had always loved his sister Ishtar and had tried often to steal her from Nanna, but only Adar could do this thing, for he rescued her from the Abyss when she went there in her foolish quest to confront her sister, the Queen of the Abyss, in order to try to take from her some part of the Abyss for her own enjoyment. It was the mighty Hunter, Adar, who released her and brought her up from the halls of dust and ashes and that was when I, the mighty Djinni, was born and given over to be the Preceptor of Vulcan before it was destroyed by my uncle, Marduk, in his jealous rage. Ahhh. Those were times to remember if there are times worth remembering. And now Marduk is a prisoner in the halls of dust and ashes and his rival Nergal is jealous of his great followings. Nergal would bring back the glory of Babylon and give back the realm of Nebuchadnezzar to the ancient king of Babylon. The great builder and Prince of Princes. And now, I must be off to warn Lucius of Venetia of the plans of the Lord of the Abyss. He cannot allow Nergal to make such a resurgence. It would mean that Persia would revert to the former glory which caused the fall of my people. When men came from all nations to pay homage to the great Marduk and stayed and overran the land, pushing the Djinn farther and farther away until they were all but gone. Ahhh. A terrible thing. Terrible.”
“But what does Lucio have to do with Nebuchadnezzar?” Merry asked and Luke came to take her arm.
“Thot’s enough, lassie. Now off t’ bed withee.” He pulled her up rather roughly from the chair. “Christopher!” he shouted toward the open door. “See Missus Ramsay t’ ’er bedchamber.”
“But Luke,” Merry protested. “I don’t feel sleepy or tired.”
“I’ll nae ’ear nae more, Meredith,” Luke said angrily. “Now go.”
Merry pursed her lips and her face flushed with anger as Christopher practically dragged her from the room.
“Miss Merry,” Christopher spoke to her quickly and pressed a large, leather-bound book in her hands. “I found a book I think you might like.”
Merry looked down at the book as he pulled her from the room.
“Now, my friend.” Luke turned on the Djinni. “I’d ’ear thot story again aboot me brother an’ meself.” The names of the gods and places mentioned by the Djinni were all too familiar to Luke. They were part of his mystery just as the knowledge of the Djinni and this creature who claimed that Mark Andrew was his father.
Olive the Green Dream Train invites Danielle and Nina to come with her to plant special trees that can heal the atmosphere better than other trees can. A mysterious angel guides them, and the Dark Phantom tries to mess everything up again.
The third book of the trilogy, The Chronicles of Henry Roach-Dairier, this volume, as with the others, will appeal to both adults and young adults. Readers will experience several levels of meaning from literal to social satire.
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In 2000, Todd Cheney set out to write a complete fantasy series. Now, almost five years later, his goal is accomplished. The Soulstone will bring to conclusion the story began in The Seventh Circle.
Buried for a thousand years under the sea,
