The Gilded Age: The Awakening... Released!

Yes, it's here, right on schedule. I'm still on track for my goal. And now, back to writing.

Oh, wait...teaser to get you interested in buying it. Almost forgot that part. Here's the book's prologue in its entirety.

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      The four people sat in the circle underneath the trees, their minds focused on the ritual they had been preparing for months. This was the moment they had all been waiting for; the time was right, and everything was set.

      As the sun peeked over the horizon, they began to chant. The words were ancient, the language long-forgotten. The sounds of the river meant nothing to them; the animals and the birds were only in the back of their minds, ignored as they focused their power. There was nothing left but to complete the sacred words and create the spell that would bind the land’s power to each of them.

      “Levkin,” came the undertoned voice. “We have to complete the final stanza together.” Levkin nodded as he continued the chant.

      “Luka.” The voice spoke simultaneously in the other man’s head. “Speak the final stanza with me.”

      “Katayeva,” said the voice again at the same time. “It is time to complete the final stanza, together.”

      The four voices somehow became six as the man in the northern quadrant of the circle spoke three stanzas at once. His colleagues completed their own stanzas, unaware of the differences; only their own voices could be heard.

      The light in the sky suddenly brightened as the blue streak crossed the sky far above, moving at impossible speeds. The four could not see it; their eyes were blinded by the force of the magic they were bringing into being. But one of them knew; he had made these calculations carefully, preparing for this day without the knowledge of his comrades. And now, his secret plans were coming to their true fruition.

      The chanting was unbroken despite the loud thunder, the sound of an artillery barrage. No one in this part of Russia had ever heard these sounds before, but as the noise intensified, the animals began to flee from the region. Only the four remained.

      Then, the sky exploded.

      The blue light became as bright as the noonday sun, and incredible energies spread out across the land as the meteor exploded across the sky. The four stiffened, and three of the screamed in sheer agony as their life forces were ripped away from them. “Grigori!” Katayeva shouted. “What have you done?”

      The fourth man screamed as well, but his screams were screams of triumph as he felt the incredible power coursing through his veins. He absorbed all the power of that explosion, and siphoned the power away from his erstwhile allies as well, draining their own life forces away and using them to increase his own power.

      “This is my moment of triumph!” he shouted even as the desiccated corpses of his friends withered and collapsed.

      He slumped to the ground, his own power throbbing inside him. The sky continued to flash a bright blue, and the thunder continued to pummel the ground. Trees were flattened as far as the eye could see, and the animals that had not escaped were lying spread out in death across the landscape.

      The sorcerer looked up in triumph at the sky. “I have wrought the greatest magic of human history!” he shouted. “The world will forever know the name of Rasputin!”

      Laughing hysterically, he stayed on the ground, slumped in exhaustion even as the power coursed through his veins, strengthening him and his spirit beyond mortal measure.

      Far away, on the other side of the world, the strange lights did not appear, but their effects would soon be felt across the world as everything changed…

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I honestly don't know if this idea's been done before, but as I mentioned in a previous post, it's something different that I wanted to do. So, it's available on Amazon right now, ready for your perusal and enjoyment.