Book Excerpt
Deep within a
hellish cavern, six towering beings merged from the depths of its heated core
and gathered at the opening. They were beautiful creatures with physically
striking features and the physiques of warriors, clothed to resemble the upper
crust of the society they would soon infiltrate. Their eyes glowed with a
fierce ember red against the backdrop of a darkening sky.
“It’s time we
avenge our brother and bring this Council to its knees,” one of them hissed.
“Your arrogance will be
the death of you, just like our brother, Luceph!” another answered with a
sinister laugh.
“Levia, as the Master
has told us, we must stop the boy first! Then we will have our revenge.” That
line of reasoning was offered by one of the beings sitting on the ledge of a
boulder at the entrance to the cavern.
“Modeus, you think
you’re better than us?” Levia snapped at him.
In a calm and
compelling tone, he answered, “It’s not that I’m better than you. We have a
mission to see out.” He stood atop the boulder, looking down at the rest of
them. “This child, who is now of age, has been delivered to abolish each one of
us . . . and our Master. The first thing we must do is—”
“Kill him!” one of them
interrupted.
Shooting him a deathly
stare, he snapped back, “To befriend him!”
“You know he is trained
to see who we really are,” Levia answered with a snarl.
“Yes, but we must only
look at his friends and pick one who wants something only we can offer. Once we
have chosen someone to betray him, then we will have our revenge.”
“And what can we offer
this friend?”
“We simply give
something back that’s been taken from them.” Modeus smiled.
“And I know the perfect
person. I’ll handle it,” Levia replied. And before any of the others could
respond, Levia vanished, leaving a brush of wind behind.
“He’ll be the next to
die!” Modeus rolled his eyes.
***
Levia gathered
two of his followers and descended on a small town nestled beside a tranquil
lake in the Ozark Mountains, a town the six demons feared. Within this town
rested the final graves that were intended for the six demons—and one grave
that already held their brother.
“How appropriate that
the Council chose this town for their savior to live,” one of Levia’s followers
replied.
“We’ll have to pay
Luceph a respectful visit before we leave,” Levia replied as the three of them
walked unnoticed onto the grounds of the local high school. Invisible to the
average eye, they wove their way through the busy halls of students and
teachers, searching for the very person Levia wanted the most.
At the head of
the pack, he held out a hand to stop his followers. “There!” He smiled and
pointed to a student.
“That student doesn’t
look like anyone who could help us.”
“Oh, yes, I’m sure of
it. And with the right persuasion, I can make the feeling of being robbed
intensify to the point of desperation.” Levia grinned and walked toward his
next victim.
***
At the obscene beeping of an alarm clock, Micah hit
the snooze button for the last time. Who
in the world made the snooze time only nine minutes? he thought. He rolled
out of his tangled sheets and sat up, placing his bare feet on a cold, hardwood
floor.
It was unusually bright that early in the morning.
Rubbing his face and opening his eyes, he could see the dust particles in the
beam of sunlight shining through the mirror he had cracked while throwing a
ball against the wall two weeks ago.
As he walked into his bathroom, his brown hair was a
matted mess. He reached in the shower and turned on the hot water, instantly
steaming up the small bathroom.
“Man, what a crazy dream. I hope today is better than
yesterday, and who in the world was that redheaded girl?” he said to himself.
“Were you talking to me?” Gran asked while walking by
his room.
“No, Gran,” Micah replied. Man, these old walls are too thin, he thought.
Looking into the fogged mirror, he wiped it clear with
his hand, then studied the back of his shoulder, where several small scars
created a larger circular scar. He had always thought they looked like teeth
marks, but as he got older, he had begun to suspect other theories of how he
got them—still, he couldn’t quite recall the memory.
He thought about yesterday. It’s always awkward being the
new guy on the first day of school. Not that anything embarrassing happened,
thankfully; actually, most kids didn’t think much about Micah as the new kid.
Being a freshman is hard, but in a small town it’s even harder if you just
moved in. And for Micah, he just moved in a few weeks ago, so having time to make
friends before school started wasn’t viable.
Seven Springs is a quaint, small town nestled in the
northern part of the Ozark Mountains. It sits on part of a tranquil blue lake
that feeds into a cold river, attracting fishermen from all over the world. Being
a retirement community, much of the town shuts down after 7:00 p.m., leaving
the younger generations to fend for themselves for entertainment. A few
fast-food joints, a small theater, and a bowling alley are about the only
venues the retired town offers. Micah hadn’t adapted yet, and being from a big
city where the nightlife was more active than the day, it was going to be a
challenge.
He had lived in Tennessee most of his life. As an orphan,
he couldn’t recall the first six years of his life but remembered vividly the
day his adopted parents drove away from the orphanage with him in the backseat,
gazing back at a half-dozen kids waving goodbye.
Micah’s adopted parents, Dale and Kelly Spearman, were
regular entrepreneurs in the Nashville area and were quite successful for
nearly a decade before the economy took a turn for the worst, especially for
small business owners. After closing their business, they joined the mission
field and moved to a small town in northern Greece. Micah, who had just turned fifteen,
had the decision to go with them or move in with his grandparents. School was
going to be hard enough with the Advanced Placement classes he had planned on
taking, but starting over in a new country was out of the question. He decided
it would be too much of a culture shock, especially since he was a little shy.
Being a natural at lacrosse, he was excited to play
for Seven Springs High School, a three-time state champion in lacrosse, and
with the lack of money in his family, lacrosse could easily pay his way to
college. A dream of his was to play for a division-1 school. So with mixed
emotions, he decided to stay in the States and pursue his dream of playing
lacrosse in college.
Making his way into the dated kitchen, he said to Paw, “I
wonder how Mom and Dad are doing moving into their new place.” Paw, Dale’s
father, was a local preacher, a sturdy old man who was set in his ways but
loved to spend time with teenagers and seemed to understand them.
“I’m sure they are getting along just fine. Dale has a
unique way of recruiting help,” Paw replied.
“Don’t say it like he cons people into doing things,
Duke,” Gran replied in a sweetly protective tone. Both Paw and Micah smiled at
each other. “So what is on your agenda today after school?” Gran
asked.
“I have workouts with the freshman team till four
thirty, and maybe just hang out afterward,” he said with a mouthful of toast.
“Okay, just let us know where you are going to be,”
Gran said.
“You better get a move on if you’re gonna be on time,”
Paw said while picking up his paper.
“Oh, crap! I mean . . . well, you know.” Micah fumbled
while grabbing his backpack. “I got to go. See ya.”
The high school was only a few blocks away, and Micah
wondered if riding a bike would look too geeky. Other thoughts ran though his
head about how hot it was, the need for a car soon, and lacrosse practice, but
mostly the redheaded girl who smiled at him during lunch. He wondered who she
was. There was something unique about her; it was almost like he knew her from
somewhere.
A couple of guys strolled out on the sidewalk in front
of him. One turned around and gave him a head nod. “What’s up?”
“Hey,” Micah greeted him back. They walked separately
the rest of the way but once they got to the school property, the same guy
asked Micah where he was from.
“Nashville,” he replied.
“Cool. Why did you move here?”
“My parents moved to Greece,” Micah said.
The boy stopped walking. “Hey, you’re the new lacrosse
player we heard about!”
“I guess so,” Micah said with a shrug.
“I’m Tyler, and this is Jake; we play on the JV team.
You ready for practice today?”
Jake was a stocky kid and bigger than most of the
freshman boys Micah had seen yesterday. Tyler was tall and skinny with
jet-black hair. Both boys were wearing athletic shorts with flip-flops. “Yeah,
think so. Are there many guys on the team?” Micah asked.
“Maybe twenty; everyone will make the JV team but
varsity cuts about half of the guys who try out. Our coach is pretty cool;
sometimes he can be a jerk, but he’s cool,” Tyler replied, walking through the
open back doors to the school.
“What do you have first period?” Jake asked Micah.
Micah reached in his back pocket for his class
schedule. “World history with—”
“You have Mrs. Hedding; she’s senile.” Tyler laughed
from inside the hallway.
“Find us at lunch. We sit near the back door in the
cafeteria,” Jake said, walking to his class.
“Okay.” Thank
you, God—normal guys.
Micah walked into Mrs. Hedding’s class looking for a
chair, while thinking about what Tyler said about her.
“Jimmy, have a seat,” she said, glancing over her
glasses at Micah.
Jimmy? A few students laughed as they overheard. News travels
fast in a small town, and everyone knew Micah was the new transfer. They also
all knew that Mrs. Hedding wasn’t good with names.
He sat down in front of the same blonde girl he had
sat in front of yesterday and pulled his notebook out of his bag.
“Hi,” the blonde girl said.
“Hi.”
“Where did you move from?” she asked.
“Nashville.”
“Cool! What’s it like moving from a big city to our little danky town?”
“Cool! What’s it like moving from a big city to our little danky town?”
“Miss Evans, please stop talking to Jimmy and get out
your notebook,” Mrs. Hedding snapped. The class laughed again.
The blonde sat back in her chair and pulled out her
books. “I’m Carrie,” she whispered back.
Micah overheard another girl to his left. “She’s
trying to bag another guy. Can she have ‘I’m easy’ written any bigger on her
forehead?” A few girls sitting nearby laughed. Micah didn’t hear a response or
acknowledgment from Carrie on the comment and figured she didn’t hear them.
She seems nice, Micah thought.
About the Book
Author: Lee DuCote
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
When lacrosse star Micah Spearman moved
to the quiet little town of Seven Springs, he never expected to become
such a significant part of his lacrosse team, his group of friends, or
of the battle raging just beyond human reach. With a gift to see into
the spiritual dimension, Micah learns he is part of a prophecy and must
lead an army of guardians against legions of demons, all while trying to
live a normal teenage life.
Navigating through high school can be a
daunting task. When Micah finds himself falling in love with his friend
Stephanie, he must be careful not to disrupt their group of friends—or
attract attention from the demons that watch his every move. But high
school will not be the biggest survival challenge he faces. Micah and
friends soon find their world expanding far beyond, as Micah discovers
his true purpose.
As the battle rages to find the Sword of
Malachi, the young freshman finds himself falling deeper into a world
of unknowns. Can Micah find the sword before all is lost? Will Stephanie
give into her feelings for Micah? In Micah, the Sword of Malachi, you too will fall under the charm and the mysteries of Seven Springs.
Author Bio
To introduce myself, I was born and
raised in Northwest Louisiana, just outside of Shreveport. I graduated
from high school in 1989 and went to Monroe Louisiana for college.
After my first year at NLU I decided (actually my parents did) I wasn’t
ready for college, so I did what every 19 year old kid does….I moved to
the Marshal Islands in the mid pacific. After a few years I came home,
meet my wife and settle down for a short bit. I worked construction,
opening my own sporting goods store, became a full-time fireman, opened a
candle manufacturing company, and even rodeo for a short term. Just
not at the same time. In 2003 we moved to Franklin TN were I sold fire
trucks until 2010 and moved to Heber Springs AR. Since here in the
Ozark Mountains I have written six novels and currently working on my
seventh, another YA novel. So that’s me in a quick whirl wind. And
yes, if you check out my web site or social media you will see me with
our pet raccoon, Tucker.
Links
Grave Distractions Publishing:
Website: www.leeducote.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leeducote
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeducote/
Grave Distractions Author Page: http://www.gravedistractions.com/lee-ducote.php
0 reacties:
Een reactie posten