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    Before the Chase: An Anthology
    Before the Chase: An Anthology
    Before the Chase: An Anthology
    Ebook71 pages1 hour

    Before the Chase: An Anthology

    By Dara Fogel

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    About this ebook

    "Highly entertaining short stories... You'll drink these down fast and be thirsty for more."
    -William G. Bernhardt, NY Times bestselling author of the "Ben Kinkaid" series

    From Dara on the GrailChase Chronicles:

    I got interested in King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (and hence the legends of the Holy Grail) in my teens. In 1985, Biagent, Leigh and Lincoln published *Holy Blood Holy Grail,* which proposed the heretical theory that Jesus did not die on the cross, but rather married and had a family with Mary Magdalene. I also read the *Dune* books by Frank Herbert around this time, which sparked many strange ideas. *Holy Blood Holy Grail* and other "Grail Conspiracy" theorists claimed that Jesus was the result of a eugenics program gone rogue, just like Paul Muad'ib in *Dune.*

    That's when I began to wonder about what would the descendents of Jesus and his followers be like in the modern era? I have always been interested in ethical dilemmas and began to wonder what would happen if a real sleezebag were to discover he was a descendent and had to choose between his own selfish desires and saving humanity?

    I began writing the story over 20 years ago, during the breakup of my first marriage, as an outlet for my intense emotions and weird interests in history, conspiracy theories and metaphysics. At the time, I knew nothing of writing, but I read voraciously. I learned as I went, reading books on writing, filling out index cards, diagramming plot twists, editing & polishing... polishing & editing.

    I worked on the manuscript off and on for decades, but never released it. Then, in 2010, the week before he died, my father, knowing of and sharing my literary aspirations, extracted a promise from me to revise and publish this grand dream of mine. He said the one thing he really regretted in his 86 years of life was that he had never seriously pursued his dream to be a science fiction author. He strongly urged me not to make the same mistake in my life, especially now that the internet was revolutionizing the publishing business.

    This anthology is the start of the fulfillment of my last and greatest promise to my father. It is a prequel that introduces the main characters that propel the GrailChase Chronicles. Book One of the GrailChase Chronicles, An Impossible Lover, will come out fall 2013, with Book Two coming out after the first of 2014. In all, the GrailChase Chronicles contains 6 full length books (over 100,000 words), which will be released roughly every four months.

    The GrailChase Chronicles encompasses my many interests in history, conspiracy theory, metaphysics and the evolution of consciousness... and of course, Steampunk.

    A lot of the theory behind this series is conjecture and highly controversial, but makes for some interesting situations, as beautifully explored by Dan Brown in his wildly popular *The DaVinci Code* (which is based on these same theories). A wide knowledge of history, history of religion, sociology, culture and philosophy was required to for me to fully grasp the historical and social implications of my story. In my pursuit of research, I ended up with a Ph.D. in Philosophy, and now teach ethics and humanities at the college level. You have to know history in order to effectively re-write it.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDara Fogel
    Release dateAug 14, 2013
    ISBN9780985926137
    Before the Chase: An Anthology
    Author

    Dara Fogel

    Dara Fogel teaches ethics and humanities in the American Southwest, where she lives with her husband, mother, young son and two cats.The GrailChase Chronicles (of which the free ebook, Before the Chase: An Anthology, is but the first installment of an epic Steampunk conspiracy series) is the result of a 20+ year long project and a final promise made to her Dad.

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      Book preview

      Before the Chase - Dara Fogel

      Before

      The Chase

      A Short Anthology from

      the GrailChase Chronicles

      By

      Dara Fogel

      Copyright 2013 Dara Fogel

      Smashwords Edition

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes Thank you for downloading this. free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

      Many thanks to my beloved husband, Richard, and my mother, Joane.

      I couldn’t have done it without your aid and support!

      TABLE of CONTENTS

      Chapter One: Alessandro’s Story

      Chapter Two: Jordan’s Story

      Chapter Three: Sophia’s Story

      Chapter One: Alessandro’s Story

      August 10, 1852 A warehouse on the outskirts of Prague 4:47 a.m.

      And now, Don Alessandro, the voice taunted through the twisting clouds, the end approaches.

      Marquis Alessandro Eduardo D’Amici gasped for breath in the thickening smoke. His stinging eyes could no longer see his adversary, but he heard the harsh laughter, nonetheless. D’Amici struggled against the leather and steel restraints holding him fast to the cold, hard table.

      I hope you are prepared to meet your Maker, his unseen tormentor called through the swirling fog, a Bavarian accent clipping his consonants. The acid vapors will put a permanent end to your damned meddling. You and your foolish Guardian friends will pay the price for your misguided interference. The Relic is mine! With it, I am invincible. And not even your clever devices can save you now.

      If you expect me to beg for my life, Count, you’re going to be disappointed, D’Amici spat into the grey mist, before the coughing overtook him once more, shaking his close-cropped dark curls.

      I don’t expect you to beg, the smooth, German-accented voice replied. "I expect you to die. And since I don’t plan on dying with you, this must be aufedersein, my dear Marquis."

      D’Amici heard the slam and bolting of the door, as his sworn enemy left, consigning him to inevitable doom. D’Amici squirmed, forcing his lungs to work as slowly as possible, taking in the smallest amount of the searing, toxic fumes that he could manage, his heart pounding.

      He strained to gain more movement in his right hand, flicking the hidden button built into his signet ring. Nothing. He tried flicking the ring once more – no response.

      Shit! The catch must be stuck, he thought, as his mind dashed for possible alternatives for his technical failure. If only he could reach into his pocket, he was sure he could use his vibralance secreted in the seam to loosen the restraints holding him fast to the metal slab. But to no avail, the metal and leather cuffs held him fast, scratching and tearing his wrists.

      D’Amici’s head began swimming, his lungs on fire as the noxious billows smothered over him. His futile struggles against his bonds lessened, as the poison began its work upon his body.

      Oh my God, D’Amici thought with growing despair, as he felt the strength drain from him. This can’t be it! I can’t allow the Count get away with the Relic!

      Fear knotted his gut as he wondered if his good friend and partner, Calyx, had succeeded in securing the ancient artifact, while D’Amici had distracted their shared adversary, who’s thirst for power knew no human limits. The Relic was key to maintaining the vital balance of power between the Light and Dark Brotherhoods, caught in their ancient battle. Recapturing the Relic was more important to D’Amici than his own life, for if the Relic were to remain in the wrong hands, all of Europe, perhaps even the whole civilized world, would quake before the sword of the Illuminati, the Dark Brotherhood of Bavaria, completely open to their wicked strike.

      The thought of failure was almost more than D’Amici could bear. He made another effort to stretch and twist his hand, but could not quite reach. He hacked as his lungs rejected the noxious fumes. Using the spasms of his body, he wrestled with the tight cuffs, his mind racing over just how much was at stake.

      With possession of the Relic, the Count and his Illuminati thugs could not only seize the reins of power in Europe, they also might gain unrestrained access to Villa D’Amici. The five-hundred-year-old castle in the Lombardi foothills of the Alps was the ancestral home to the accumulated knowledge of the Grail Guardians, the ancient order of knights whose duty it was to protect that hoary knowledge, and the mysteries of the Bloodlines, as well. The Count’s victory would also grant his enemies access to D’Amici’s own beloved wife, Beatrix, and their young family. Beatrix’s beautiful ivory face, surrounded by masses of thick, dark hair floated before his hot, streaming eyes, empowering him anew.

      Once more, he reached his hand, the sharp metal and leather of his restraints tearing at his flesh. Ignoring the pain as the sharp metal bit into his tender skin, he twisted

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