Michael's daughter, Claire, is now eighty and a widow. In the twilight of her life, she has come to accept a quiet and uneventful existence.
But that is all about to change. For Claire is the Araphym, an immortal, human hybrid, and the only thing standing between Cagas, king of the underworld, and the total annihilation of the human race. Only problem is Claire doesn't remember...
Will Claire come to realize her place in history as the Araphym, or will life as she knows it cease to exist?
Warning: This book may contain language and violence which may be offensive to some readers.
* * *
EXCERPT
“Mrs.
Lawson has a pretty garden.”
Claire
cast a smile in the direction of her Great Green Macaw, as it sat on its perch
on the front porch. “Thank you, Ta-lin.”
“Not
at all.”
She
chuckled to herself and dropped a cushion on the cement path. “Now if these
eighty-year-old knees will keep working, it will continue to be a pretty
garden.” She kneeled next to a flat of marigolds and grabbed the garden trowel.
Stooping over the earth, she dug a hole and placed the single marigold into it.
Drawing the soil in around it, she then patted it gently.
“Pretty
flowers.”
“Yes
they are, aren’t they? Samuel always did love when I planted marigolds.” She
sighed. “If only he were here to see them.”
“Ma’am?”
Ta-lin
barked like a dog and Claire turned.
A
man leaned over the white picket gate.
She
squinted, adjusting her straw hat down over her eyes. “May I help you?”
“I’m
your neighbor, Dale Coleman.” He thrust a thumb at the street to his left. “This
letter was in my mailbox. I believe it’s yours.”
She
climbed to her feet. “Funny. I thought I knew all my neighbors.”
“Moved
in a couple of days ago. Into the old Peterson place.”
“The
Petersons moved? I didn’t even know their house was for sale.”
The
man shrugged and held out the envelope.
“I’m
sorry. Where are my manners? I’m Claire Lawson. Please, do come in and have a glass
of fresh squeezed lemonade.”
He
tipped his hat and opened the gate. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Ta-lin
squawked. “Duck, Claire.”
Claire
turned to Ta-lin.
“I
need you to duck. Now.”
Her
brow crumpled, as Ta-lin stretched his green wings out at his sides, the
feathers knitting together as they grew and extended out into great leathery
appendages. His eyes glowed yellow, his beak protruding into an elongated snout.
He opened his mouth as long sharp teeth glistened in the sunlight.
Claire’s
jaw dropped. “What the f—”
The
dragon-like beast leaped from its perch and swooped directly at her.
Claire
screamed and jumped back—falling onto the cement pathway as Ta-lin swooped over
her. She brought her arms up, as he flew into the man.
The
man pulled a knife, his eyes now red.
Ta-lin’s
claws ripped at his throat.
The
man plunged the knife up into Ta-lin.
Ta-lin
screeched and sank his teeth into the man’s neck, as they both fell to the
ground. For a moment, they were still, and then Ta-lin rolled onto the grass. The
six foot wings retracted, as feathers once more formed. “Claire…”
“Ta-lin?”
Claire stared from the man to the parrot, and then slowly crawled to Ta-lin’s
side. Blood flowed from the gaping wound, and Claire reached instinctively for it.
The
moment her fingertips touched Ta-lin, a glow surrounded him, the wound closing
and knitting as the blood disappeared. The scrapes and blood on her hands and
knees vanished.
Claire
gasped, and a blinding flash of light surrounded her. The light faded, and she
was standing in a park. “What’s happening?” She staggered back. “What is this?”
A
girl waved from a sandbox.
“That’s…me.”
She spun to the bench behind her. “Oh my God. Mom? Dad?” She gulped. “But…How
can this be?”
Hank
shot up in bed. For a moment, he sat clutching the blanket, his heart racing.
He grabbed a pen and notepad from the bedside table. Holding the pen poised to
write, his hand trembled. The empty white sheet glared up at him. The fleeting
images even now abandoning his thoughts.
He
sighed and tossed the pad and pen back onto the table. Throwing the blankets aside,
he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Tiny clawed feet clicked on the
wood flooring, as they scurried in the shadows.
He
turned, but there was nothing there. He half shrugged and snatched the pants and
shirt from the chair by the bed. Yawning, he strolled into the washroom and
relieved himself. He washed his hands and splashed cold water on his face. Pressing
his palms onto the cold porcelain of the sink, he raised his head. On the
window sill behind him, there was a ball of fur about the size of a kitten. Its
hair was scraggly, and it had no tail. “What the…?”
The
creature shifted on short legs, its red eyes staring up into his. Baring long
needle-like teeth, it leaped from the sill straight at his face.
Yanking
the towel from its rod, he then swung. The creature and the towel landed upon
the floor in a snarling lump. He ran from the bathroom and slammed the door.
“That was not real. That was not
real. This is not happening.”
Snarls
continued to come from the other side of the door, followed by claws running on
tile, and then a thump against the door. Tiny feet reached out from under the
door, and he jumped back.
He
shook his head. “It’s fine. It’ll be fine…as long as I never have to take a leak
or maintain any semblance of sanity.” Closing his eyes, he swallowed. “Not
real. Not real,” he muttered.
He
walked into the kitchen and reached for the tap. A black mass, about the size
of a cat, flew out of the shadows straight for him. He grabbed the frying pan
from the drain board and swung hard. There was an odd thunk, as metal struck solid.
Whatever it was, it hit the wall and slid onto the floor. It lay still for a
moment and then moved.
“Fuck this.” He grabbed his wallet and slipped on a
pair of running shoes. Snatching his keys from the table, he then raced into
the hall. He wasn’t waiting to find out whatever the hell that thing was. He closed
the door and locked it. Gathering himself, he stepped back.
Something
breathed, and slowly he turned. It was his neighbor Mrs. Baldwin’s German Shepherd.
“Mrs.
Baldwin, you forgot Jeremiah in the hallway again.” He reached to pat the dog, as
she came out of her apartment, accompanied by Jeremiah.
Hank
froze, his eyes turning to whatever lay at his feet. The creature stirred. Its
head lifting, it rose on bone-thin legs.
The
stench of rotting flesh drifted from matted, wet fur and filled the hallway, as
it raised its pointed snout. Gelatinous goo oozed between its teeth, forming a
puddle on the carpet. Its stare locked with his. “Holy mother of…”
The
creature sprung and knocked him to the floor. Bringing his arms up, he
screamed.
“Mr.
Jamieson?”
Lowering
his hand slightly, he peeked up at Mrs. Baldwin. She was touching his arm—the
beast no where to be found.
“Are
you all right?”
Tugging
his disheveled shirt, he pushed up against the wall. “Sorry, I thought I saw
something in the shadows.”
She
smiled down at him and patted his shoulder. “It’s all those readings you do,
dear. You really must take care of yourself.”
He
climbed to his feet. “You’re right. I need to take a break. Thank you.” Taking
the stairs, he made his way to the front entrance and out onto the street. Pressing
his hand to his chest, he fell back against the brick wall. “You’re losing it,
Hank.”
Stepping
from the wall, he opened his eyes. He wasn’t in front of his building anymore.
Before him was an apartment block. Its front doors were falling away from their
hinges—years of abandonment and neglect leaving the paint cracked and peeling.
He glanced from side to side. “How the hell did I…?” He drew his sleeve up off
his watch.
One
minute had passed.
“Keep
calm.” He laughed. “Who am I kidding? I always knew this day would come. I just
didn’t think it would be this soon.”
A hand came to rest on his shoulder. “You’re not losing
your mind.”
A woman stood to his left.
“Rose?”
She vanished.
He
closed his eyes and then opened them. “Jeez. Now I have hallucinations telling
me I’m not hallucinat…and who’s Rose?” The apartment building was no longer
falling to ruin. His gaze followed the lines of the freshly painted doors, as
they stood straight on their hinges. “What’s happening here? What is this
place? Why do I…know it?”
Slowly,
the doors opened. “Come inside, and I will tell you why.”
“Look,
whatever kind of ghost you are, if you think I’m going in there, you have
another think coming.” He turned away only to be facing the apartments again.
“Okay, that’s…”
“Cross
the threshold, and all will be revealed.”
Hank’s
shoulders drooped. “You’re not going away, are you?”
“No.”
“I
didn’t think so.”
“I
am sorry, but you’re a part of this. I need your help. I alone cannot close the
Darkening.”
A
man’s face flashed through his mind. “Michael? Why do I know that name?”
“Please.”
He
ascended the steps and crossed the threshold into the grand entrance. The
moment his foot touched the marble floor, people appeared going about their
day.
“Hello.”
To
his right was a woman.
“I’m
Jenn. Are you moving in?”
“I…uh…”
“You’re
still thinking about it. Gotcha. You don’t want to rush these things. Have a
look around. Check things out.” She grinned. “Well, I can tell you one thing.
There are some really great people here. So, if you’re looking, this is the
place to be.” She continued out the front door, vanishing as she passed over
the threshold.
He
sighed. “Nice touch. Make me feel guilty by introducing me to the all-American
girl next door.”
“I
did not send her. And she is not a ghost.”
He turned. Before him was the woman from the street.
She touched her finger to his forehead, and a surge of images and memories
flooded his mind.
He
lost his balance, and she grasped him firmly by the arm.
“I…remember.
Michael. The void. His girlfriend.” He clutched her by the shoulders. “He
succeeded. He got her out.” He whooped and pumped a fist in the air.
The
woman smiled.
“Wait.
Why did I forget?” He paused. “This is a different timeline. One in which I
never met him. Because…it never happened.”
“The
memory still exists, buried deep within your psyche. You just needed a trigger.”
He
blinked. “I know you.”
“You’re
remembering the other timeline.”
“No.
I mean, I know you.”
“I
am Rosario.”
“Funny.
I was going to say Rose. But you don’t let anyone call you that, except…Tommy.
You prefer to be called Rosario, and you are…”
“Yes?”
“You’re
blocking me.”
“No.
Your mind is absorbing the memories. It will take time. It would not be wise
for me to rush you.”
He
cast his gaze over the front entrance of the apartment. “What exactly is
happening here?”
“What
you’re sensing is the Darkening. You remember it as the void that took Mr.
Caulfield’s girlfriend, Elaine. They closed it, sealing it off. Only the new
owner removed the seal, when he had the symbol in the wood floor boards torn up
and taken away. By doing so, the Darkening has been reopened. But, not only is
it open, the doorway has created a passageway from the other side to this.
Creatures have begun to escape into this world.”
Hank’s
brows rose sharply. “Creatures? They wouldn’t happen to have red eyes, long
sharp fangs, and smell of death?”
“Yes.”
“Dear
God—” he took a step toward the front door “—they must be creating havoc.”
“Not yet. But, they soon will, unless we do
something to close the Darkening once and for all.”
He spun. “What do you mean, not yet? I came across
three, between my bedroom and the hall outside my apartment.”
“They were drawn to you, because you’re vibrating on
a similar energy to them. By that I mean you can sense, hear, and see the
Darkening and everything connected with it.”
“How?”
“When
you met Mr. Caulfield you saw into his mind. You connected with his consciousness
and life energy. And when you did, you also became connected to what he was experiencing.”
She directed her eyes to the front door. “You can see and interact with those
creatures as real entities of the other world here, because when their energy
and yours comes into contact, you are both in an in-between state of awareness.
One in which you both exist in that moment. So, yes, they can hurt you. And the
larger ones can even kill you.”
He
gulped. “So because I can sense them…?”
“While
in your presence, they become real to you, and your world becomes real to
them.”
“That’s
why it couldn’t pass through the door, and I could hit the one in the kitchen
with the frying pan.”
“Precisely.
And when Mrs. Baldwin touched you, her energy attached itself to yours and
disconnected you from the creature in the hallway.”
His brow creased. “Exactly when did the Darkening
open again?”
“It
has only just happened.”
The
crease on his brow deepened.
“Then
how is it they could have come to you so quickly? They’re out of phase with
this dimension. Physical reality doesn’t exist for them here…yet. Only when
they come into contact, with one such as yourself—”
“Do
they become real.”
“That
is correct.” She pulled up. “That’s why I brought you here. When with me, you’re
safe from harm. These people here, in this apartment building, are trapped in a
world that exists outside your world. The Darkening is drawing on their life
energy to strengthen the connection between the two worlds, and to fully open
the doorway. And once it’s done taking all they have to give…”
“They
will die.”
“Yes. They’re unaware their world is no longer the
world you and I know. The moment I sensed the Darkening open, I came
immediately. My presence has stopped any more creatures from escaping, but
those who came through before I arrived are now in this dimension. To return
them, I must seek them out. And that is something I cannot do. I must remain
here holding the Darkening at bay. Only those, like you, who’ve seen this other
world, or sensed its existence, are in danger, for now.” She hesitated. “But
there is another way to return them to the Darkening…and that is to close it.”
She turned her head to the staircase. “The Source
sensed my presence and knew I was preventing any more creatures from escaping. Before
I could stop it, he created a bubble around this apartment building, with the
intent of solidifying the doorway between the worlds. Once he’s taken their
life energy, there will be a shift, and the Darkening will spill out into this
world.
“Should
I collapse that bubble, and rescue those people, I would have to engage the Source,
and the ensuing battle could tear both worlds apart.”
“So
these people are dying and don’t know it. And if you try to rescue them, not only
could they die, but everyone on the planet.”
She nodded. “I have the power to stop it. But my
power, combined with the Source of the other world, would create a catastrophic
event.”
He
lowered his head. “You’ve brought me here to get Michael.”
“Yes.
Mr. Caulfield, Detective Henderson, and you will be able to breach the bubble
and enter the other world to close the Darkening.”
Hank
cleared his throat. “Uh…me?” He laughed. “You’re kidding, right? I’m just a
psychic. I’m not some underworld warrior. The best I can do is make a hole as I
run through the nearest wall, unless that’s considered a super power.”
Rosario
smirked. “You’re far more than you realize, my dear man. Just as Mr. Caulfield
and Detective Henderson had to be convinced they were more than they believed,
when they had to engage the other world the first time, so must you.”
“No,
really. I don’t—” Before he could finish his thought, Rosario once more struck
him on the forehead. A rush of color and sound flew through his mind, as images
and knowledge unveiled itself to him. He staggered back and fell to the floor. The
wooziness subsided, and clarity once more returned. “That was…I don’t know what
that was.” Slowly, he stood. “What a rush.” He lifted his gaze. “And I thought my nightmares were scary.”
She
pressed her hand to his chest, and he flinched, jumping back.
“What
did you do?” He pulled his shirt open. On his chest was a mark burned into the
skin.
“This will protect you, as you travel through the
underworld. You never need worry it’ll be blocked or removed. It’s part of you,
now and always. It’ll enhance the abilities you already possess, as well as
more firmly connect you to the knowledge within you.”
“I
remember.” He came close. “You. This. All of it.”
Her gaze met his, and she touched her hand to his
cheek. “Then you understand. You and I have a special connection—one that
allowed me to reach out to you and bring you here.” She turned her head. “I
must remain here. I need you to reach Mr. Caulfield and Detective Henderson,
and make them remember who they are and what they are capable of. You need to
reawaken their warrior within.”
