New Series: In the King's Power

 RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2024 

I am excited to share that I will be releasing a new O4S-related series, In the King's Power. Part 1 will be available as an ebook on September 1, for only 99 cents. Parts 2-6 will be $3.99 each. 

The story will be released serially - one section each month:

• September - Part 1
• October - Part 2
• November - Part 3
• December - Part 4
• January, 2025 - Part 5
• February, 2025 - Part 6

SERIES OVERVIEW

Alyssa Calderon, powerful psychic, and highly trained field operative for the Order of the Four Sons, gets separated from her team when a mission goes south. Injured and alone, she finds a door that leads her to a strange and magical world called Corbenic. And the door doesn’t lead her just anywhere—it delivers her right to the royal palace, where she now finds herself at the mercy of its tyrannical King, James Sarpedonne. Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months. As Alyssa remains a prisoner, she finds her hope of ever returning home waning. Can Corbenic be her new home? Does she want it to be? She finds there are no easy answers, especially as she comes to make new friends, a new family, maybe even a new life.

 
PART 1 SYNOPSIS

Almost immediately, Alyssa finds that she feels oddly drawn to her royal captors, a feeling that appears to be mutual. King James recognizes Alyssa’s value as a seer and decides to keep her at the palace to serve him, which includes getting engaged to a prince. As Alyssa struggles to find her footing in this alien world -- a world filled with geomancers and alchemists, nobles and courtesans, fairies and mermaids – she must also find a way to hang on to her self. 

EXCERPT

The dining room was small, just big enough for the table, chairs, and space for servants to move about, but no less sumptuously appointed than the halls. A crystal chandelier hung from the recessed ceiling. A fireplace dominated one wall, windows the other, brocade drapes tied back to give them a view of the sea. Everything, every surface, was patterned, engraved, embroidered, enameled. Even the ceiling beams overhead were carved and inset with jewels. In such a close space, it was overpowering.

When Alyssa entered, the men at the table stood, and James’ voice greeted her, “Ah, here she is. Excellent. We’re so pleased you could join us.”

She halted, heart hammering in her ears. Besides James, there were two other men and a boy. All of them were mages. Powerful ones. Even the kid, and Geoff, too, who left her side and joined them.

He gave her the nod. Bowing her head, she curtsied low.

After a polite interval, James said, “You may rise.”

She did. Clasping her hands tightly in front of her so she wouldn’t fidget, Alyssa looked around at them. James was at the head of the table. He’d changed for dinner and now wore a cream-colored suit, embroidered with red, yellow, and green flowering vines, trimmed with gold threads, carnelians, and tourmalines. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. She picked the thought out of his head, Geoff must have advised her on how to behave. Good.

She was going to have to watch it. Her psychic antennae needed to be up and running, but she couldn’t get carried away. She couldn’t afford to go all space-cadet in front of these people. Yet a great deal of information came to her all at once. The man to James’ right was younger, dressed in emerald and gold, then the boy, who was about ten. The boy wore violet, though he wore short pants and stockings beneath his coat instead of trousers. She knew immediately that those three were related. The family resemblance would have been obvious to anyone, but she could feel the bloodline running through them like a current, running in a straight line: father, son, grandson.

The man on James’ left was dressed in black and gold brocade. Alyssa looked at him, then quickly away, the blush stinging her cheeks like a slap. If James was beautiful, this man was simply unearthly. He was the same age as James, but with his smooth cheeks and reed-thin body, he could pass for a teenager. He had skin like milk, copper hair, and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, almost turquoise. He would have been a perfect angel but for the expression on his lovely face: utter distaste and contempt, as if she were an unpleasant odor that had wafted into the room. She also found that he and James had an unusually intense attachment. It was sexual, yes, but there was something more to it than that-- something she’d never felt before. James’ son seemed to have a similar bond with Geoff.

All this came to her in the space of a few seconds. She didn’t have time to ponder any of it, though, before James spoke again, “I am James Walter Erebus Sarpedonne. I am pleased to present to you my son and Heir,” he gestured to the man at his right, “Prince Henri James Endymion Sarpedonne.” He gestured to the boy, “My grandson, Prince Leopold Felix Sebastien Sarpedonne.” He touched the elbow of the man on his left. “My inspirer and chamberlain, Lord Endymion Sinnis Heosphoros Miltiades.” At last, he nodded to Geoff. “And you’ve already met Lord Britomart.”

Alyssa inclined her head to each of them in turn, which she thought was a perfectly acceptable way to acknowledge everybody, but Endymion seemed offended. She didn’t look at him again, but she could feel the loathing radiating off him like heat off a stove. It took her aback-- she’d been awake for all of five and a half hours. What could she possibly have done to piss him off?

James nodded to the spot across from him and Geoff pulled the chair out for her. The seat was cushioned, but it had a carved wooden back. She sat stiffly, mindful of her bandages, her hands folded in her lap.

The rest of them sat, still watching her.

“How are you feeling, Miss Calderon?” Prince Henri asked. Unlike everyone else, he was built like a linebacker: thick neck, slab-like shoulders, and big, meaty fists. The face beneath his beard was round and sweet. Blue-eyed and russet-haired, he was nice enough to look at, but in this room, that put him at tragically average.

Their eyes met. With a start, she realized he’d been the one who’d found her. When she’d fallen through the doorway and landed here, Prince Henri had discovered her, filthy, bloody, and unconscious, on the palace grounds. The spill of dark hair, the limp, splayed limbs. He turns her over, eyes widening when he sees her face. Gently, carefully, he lifts her up in those huge arms, holding her against his broad chest--

“Miss Calderon?” Sky-blue eyes looked into hers with increasing concern. Well, Earth skies, anyway.

Alyssa blinked. “Huh?”

“I asked how you were feeling,” Henri said.

Right. Space cadet thing. Her back was throbbing something awful, but she managed a smile. “Oh, I’m up and about, thank you.”

On her right, Geoff whispered, “Your Grace.”

She kept that smile painted on. “Your Grace.” Addressing them all, she added, “In fact, I really appreciate this opportunity to say thank you in person. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done. I know the Order will be as well.” Then she remembered she wasn’t supposed to talk. Well, that was about as much speech as she had prepared anyhow.

There was a pause. Then Henri said, “Think nothing of it, mademoiselle. It is the least we could do.”

Servants began to make the rounds. Her napkin was placed in her lap for her. Wine and water were poured. (Alyssa declined the former, so they offered her iced tea instead). Then came an assortment of hors d’oeuvres: scallops, quail eggs, snapper crudo on cucumbers, dolma, mini quiches, sausages, sweet potato croquettes, savory tarts, roasted vegetables, breads.

When everyone had been served, James said, “Everyone’s terribly curious about you, mademoiselle, and how you came to be here. Go on, tell them what you told me.”

Putting her fork down, Alyssa repeated her sitch report, more or less verbatim. When she got to the part about neutralizing targets, the boy, Leopold, piped up, “What were the targets?” His gray-green eyes were bright and inquisitive.

“Demons,” she replied.

“Yes, but what kind?”

“Ghouls.”

“How did you neutralize them?”

“Grenades to flush ‘em out. Flame throwers to finish ‘em off.”

“Really?” he leaned forward eagerly. “What else have you fought?”

“Now, Leo,” Henri admonished, “it’s her tale. Let her tell it.”

Disappointed, the boy sank back in his chair. Alyssa gave him a little smile, then told them the rest of it.

“What was it that wounded you?” Henri asked.

“A gug.”

“A what?”

“A gug. Y’know, the--” she started to raise her arms to pantomime the enormous mouth opening and closing, but immediately regretted it. The pain was so intense, she had to grip the edge of the table for support. “-- the vertical jaws? About… about twelve feet tall? No? Well, they eat ghouls. They have pink eyes and these nasty arms that split at the elbow, so they have four sets of talons. One of them raked me down the back.”

They stared at her, aghast. “How on earth did you get away?” Geoff asked.

“Ran like hell.”

Leopold spoke up again. “But the poison--?”

“Yeah, I don’t know. I just… kept going.”

“This Order you mentioned before,” James said. “Tell us about it.”

The pain was really starting to wear her out, and she was not prepared for that question. “That’s a lot of history to cover. The Order’s very old.”

He took a sip of wine. “We have time.”

“Well, the Order began about five thousand years ago, in a place called Egypt. It was started by a group of mages who dedicated themselves to protecting our world from extradimensional threats. Since then, we’ve branched out to include not only mages, but scholars, soldiers, psychics, and technicians, but the mission stayed the same: protect humanity from demons and dark magic. We operate in secret, but we’re basically a nation unto ourselves. We have a government, laws, schools, customs, even a religion of sorts. I was born into it. Not everyone is.”

“Why do you operate in secret?” Henri asked.

“Because throughout my world’s history, there have been times when it wasn’t safe to be a mage.”

“So, the rulers of your world, they are not mages?” James asked.

“Almost never.”

Onyx eyes regarded her across the table. “How many members would you say this Order of yours has?”

“Well, we’re global, so. A lot.”

Without warning, Endymion slammed his hand down on the table. “Your Wisdom.”

Alyssa had almost forgotten he was there. “Sorry…? Oh! Sorry! Your Wisdom! I forgot! I’m so sorry. We don’t use honorifics like that where I come from. Your Wisdom. It won’t happen again.”

Still indignant, Endymion opened his mouth to speak again, but James touched his arm. “She is foreign, after all.”

James motioned for the servants to bring the next course. It was the soup course, and a selection of broths and bisques were ladled out.

“Now, where were we?” James mused. “Oh, yes. Your Order. Ancient, stealthy--”

“Are there many women in the Order?” Henri interjected.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Many women soldiers, like you?”

Alyssa tasted her soup, pomegranate seeds and split peas. Delicious. Too bad she wasn’t hungrier. “It’s not uncommon, Your Grace.”

The notion seemed to disturb him. “It must be very dangerous in your world, for the women to have to fight alongside the men.”

“Where I come from, Your Grace, we are considered equal to men. We don’t fight because we’re desperate. We fight out of duty, and because some of us are good at it.”

James laughed outright at that.

Meeting his gaze squarely, Alyssa said, “I’ll wager I’m trained on every weapon you are and then some. Your Wisdom.”

The King stopped laughing. Next to him, Endymion looked murderous...