It’s been almost a year since I put out the prequel to The Last Observer. To say it hasn’t sold well would be an understatement. yet I think it is really quite a good story.
An occult novella by G. Michael Vasey Black Magic, Astral Travel, Ouija Board Games, Demonic Possession – This book has it all! Edward Bright searches for a lost Grimoire written by a magician who purportedly found the elixir of eternal life – The Grimoire El Natlez. Meanwhile, William meets the enigmatic and hypnotic, Ralph Meister, who promises him a life of wealth, women, and fame, in return for his soul. Behind all of these events is a sinister and powerful demon – the Lord of the Elements. Lord of the Elements is the prequel to The Last Observer and book 2 in the series which finds both Edward and William in a magical battle for their very souls. A short, but twisty, story that holds nothing back. Full of magic and occult. This book is a real ride through the battle between good and evil and the process of discovery of the ultimate truth. Will William find a way to avoid losing his soul? Will Edward find his Grimoire? Grab your copy of Lord of the Elements and find out.
I have been told that perhaps the cover is a little scary! Well, that is the Lord of the Elements and it is a scary thing trust me.
To see if I can rustle up a little more interest, here is the moment a young Edward first makes the demon’s acquaintance…. You can grab the book here.
Chapter 3 – Ouija Games
The Ouija board had seen much better days and the makeshift wine glass that the four of them now touched with their fingers, would have difficulty moving over the deeply cracked and wrinkled surface of the board. Janet had found it in an old cardboard box in the attic and while its provenance could not be readily ascertained, it must surely have once belonged to a student who had also occupied number 61 Drake Lane. Luckily, there were five wine glasses in the house, the sixth, which made up the original set, had been dropped at some time in the past. Four of the glasses had seen some heavy usage during the course of the evening as the friends consumed three bottles of cheap Spanish wine. As the wine had begun to run out, their spirits had increased under the influence of the bubbly cheap alcohol and that was when Janet suddenly remembered the old Ouija board. The four of them now sat hunched around the kitchen table, fingers on the remaining upturned glass, giggling.
“Nothing’s going to happen,’” said Billy, who out of the four, was still the soberest.
“Give it a try Billy,” said Janet, rolling her eyes. “Just give it a try…”
The four settled down again looking intently at the upturned glass in silence. It was at that moment that the back door cracked as the latch was turned and opened. Edward caught a glimpse of the four of them jumping in unison as their fearful expectation of something the Ouija board might do turned into group shock as the door opened.
“Bloody hell,” shouted Dennis. “You scared the living daylights out of me.”
“Good God, my heart is pounding,” screamed Janet, between howls of relieved laughter.
Edward surveyed the scene and immediately determined that this activity was not for him. He muttered an apology and made his way through the petite kitchen to the door of the equally miniscule lounge.
“Oh, come on Edward!” said Billy. “Come and join us?”
“Yes….” they all said more or less together. “Do,” repeated Janet.
Edward shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. That’s playing with fire that is. Nope. Enjoy yourselves, but I am not interested.” he said firmly.
“Awwww Edward,” moaned Janet. “Always so, …so boring.”
Edward said nothing, but opened the door to the lounge anyway.
“Edward old boy, do you have anything that we can drink?” asked Billy holding out his empty wine glass.
“That I can help with,” nodded Edward. “I have a bottle of wine left over from Christmas. I shall go and get it.”
He set off decisively, as if to make amends for his lack of interest in the night’s activities. He was back less than five minutes later, brandishing a dark bottle that he held aloft to their multiple cheers. He gave it to Billy with a flourish.
“Thanks Edward.”
Edward looked a tad embarrassed and was quite relieved to escape the kitchen for the safety of the lounge. He had an interesting book there awaiting him and he would read for a while before going up to bed.
In the kitchen, the new bottle was quickly opened and its contents poured into the waiting and empty glasses.
“To Edward,” said Billy before downing a huge gulp of red wine.
“Edward,” came back the chorus.
“Do you think it would help if we dimmed the lights a bit?” asked Dennis.
“Why not?” said Billy.
No one objected and so they switched off the lights. It took a while for eyes to accustom themselves to the darkness and refocus on the upturned glass.
Time passed. A heavy silence began to hang over the assembled company in the darkness of the kitchen only interrupted by the now incredibly loud ticking of the ugly, cheap clock that hung over the doorway to the lounge.
“Is there anybody there?” said Janet after several minutes of total silence.
Dennis let out a snigger.
“Sorry, it just sounds so ridiculous,” he said.
“Is there anybody there?” repeated Janet, ignoring Dennis.
“Bugger, did you feel that?” asked Billy, as the glass suddenly seemed to lurch sideways.
The glass had seemingly moved abruptly from left to right. It had actually skipped over the deep fold and crack in the old board as if hovering a few millimeters above its’ surface.
“Shhhhh,” said Janet excitedly.
“Come on, stop pushing the bloody thing,” said a skeptical Dennis.
“I’m not,” said Janet.
“Me neither,” said Billy.
“Nor me,” said Guy.
For a moment, the glass was still. Then, slowly and with definite purpose, it began to move again.
“Oh my God,” said Guy. “It is moving.”
“Problem is we can’t see where it is moving to,” said Janet.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light as Billy flipped his lighter with his spare hand and held it over the table.
“Good idea,” exclaimed Guy.
“Is there anybody here?” asked Janet once more.
The glass moved abruptly and effortlessly across the board settling on top of the letters that spelled ‘YES’.
“Oh my God,” exclaimed Janet. What is your name?”
The glass moved again. It slipped across the board with ease despite the broken surface.
“F, I, R, E – Fire?” asked Janet in a low husky voice.
The glass began to move again.
“A, I, R – Air?” said Janet tracking the glasses progress.
“Who is pushing it?” asked Billy.
“No one,” said Dennis. “It is floating above the board. How is THAT possible?”
“Come on, someone is pushing it.”
“Shhhhh,” said Janet. “Who is this?”
The glass moved with increased energy.
“L, O, R, D – Lord?” said Janet. “Lord who?”
With that, the glass somehow hurled itself across the room, smashing on the wall above the kitchen sink. Four people screamed involuntarily in unison.
Edward, who was engrossed in his book, only heard muffled screams. Puzzled, he put it down and walked towards the kitchen door. Opening it, he found the room in darkness. He switched on the light. It wasn’t so much the four pale and shocked faces peering back at him that attracted his attention as the stacked empty wine glasses perilously sitting atop one another on top of the wine bottle in the middle of the table. Just the slight breeze from pushing open the door was sufficient to send the whole lot crashing to the table in an explosion of broken glass.
“Good God,” said Janet. “How did that happen?”
“There, that should teach the lot of you for playing with fire,” said Edward.