Leaves of Fire

B. Koep Michael

Description

Imagine paintings that hold the secrets to the meaning of life and death or scribbled words that can alter the past and reshape the present.We know art imitates life but in Michael B. Koep's thriller fiction trilogy, the author brings the arts to life in an action-packed tale spanning seven centuries.In the spring of 1338, young William of Leaves knows only of remedies, herbs and his mother's kindness. When he is forced to watch as she is dragged to a witch's pyre by a mob led by the Bishop of London, the mysterious immortal apothecary, Albion Ravistelle, promises the boy a chance at vengeance.In present day, psychologist Loche Newith and Julia Iris must come to terms with Loche's prophetic writings that have changed the course of history and shaped the lives of William, Helen, and countless others. As a war breaks out between the immortals on earth and Albion Ravistelle, Loche must accept the realities he has authored and cross over into deathhe must enter again into Basil Fenn's paintings to find a way to end the conflict.In Part Two of The Newirth Mythology, Leaves of Fire, Koep entwines these lives and lifetimes as he explores myth, memory, revenge and the hope of forgiveness.

Sujets

• Thriller

Informations

• Publié par: Will Dreamly Arts Publishing
• Date de parution: 04 juin 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780989393560
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The Newirth Mythology, Part Two, Leaves of Fire is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either used fictitiously, are products of the author s imagination, or are brought on by an ancient muse (or all three). Any resemblance to actual events, persons, living or dead, gods, idols, immortals or other is entirely coincidental.
Tunow plecom cer
Copyright 2015 by Michael B. Koep. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information contact:
Will Dreamly Arts LLC.
[e-mail]
www.WillDreamlyArts.com
www.MichaelBKoep.com
FIRST EDITION
Designed by Will Dreamly Arts LLC.
Cover art, maps and text illustrations by Michael B. Koep
Back cover portrait by Brady Campbell
The Newirth Mythology, Part Two, Leaves of Fire is also available in eBook, ePub and audio formats.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
(paperback edition)
ISBN# 978-0-9893935-4-6
(hardcover edition)
ISBN# 978-0-9893935-8-4
For Michael Scott

Synopsis
This is the second part of THE NEWIRTH MYTHOLOGY.
The first part, The Invasion of Heaven , tells of how Loche Newirth discovers that his mentor, criminal psychologist Marcus Rearden, is a murderer, and how Loche journals an imaginative and mythical story to capture him. It also tells of Loche s terrifying and supernatural incident writing the tale, and how his words have altered very fabric of existence. Throughout his narrative, Loche begs the question, This is really happening, isn t it?
In a desperate search to find Loche, Dr. Marcus Rearden is the first to discover and read the chronicle.
The journal portrays Loche, and painter Basil Fenn as brothers and artists with the ability, through their art, to open dangerous pathways between this life and the Hereafter. Basil s paintings and Loche s writings are of great interest to an ancient society of immortals called the Orathom Wis , whose mission is to guard the doors between this life and the next and prevent the crossing of divine spirits into our world. One of that order, William Greenhame, had been keeping a secret watch over the two and protecting them since they were children.
Another immortal, Albion Ravistelle, succeeds in abducting Loche, Loche s family and Basil to Italy and proposes that by sharing Basil s paintings with the world they could cure mental illness, and the darker elements of the human condition. The brothers discover that Albion s intention is instead to contaminate and destroy the afterlife with human fallibility, sin and imperfection.
At the intimation of Loche, Basil takes his own life to stop the invasion of Heaven and protect the natural order of existence. His death begins a war between the Orathom Wis and Albion Ravistelle s forces. The journal ends with Loche s life falling further into the surreal when he learns that the immortal William Greenhame is his father. He also discovers that his wife, Helen, has betrayed him for the love of Albion Ravistelle.
Once Marcus Rearden completes reading the journal he tests the story s validity by contacting a character within the narrative, the love of Loche Newirth, Julia Iris. When she joins Rearden on a journey to find Loche, she also reads the incredible events depicted in the journal. Convinced the afterlife exists, that an immortal order of men and women protect it, and the fate of mankind hangs in the balance, both Rearden and Julia are enmeshed in Loche s snare. During the final confrontation between Rearden and Loche, Julia is mortally wounded, Rearden s crime is exposed and he is arrested. Soon after, Loche meets the real life characters from out of his imagination: William Greenhame, Samuel Lifeson and Corey Thomas, and he is forced to come to terms with the anomalous and supernatural quality of his writing. The Invasion of Heaven concludes with the discovery that Julia Iris is an immortal.
This second part, Leaves of Fire , now tells of how Loche s journal has inadvertently created lives, changed history and made myths and their characters, real.
And it grew both day and night.
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.
WILLIAM BLAKE
The Newirth Mythology
part two of three
Leaves of Fire
Fated
November 3, this year. Coeur d Alene, Idaho, USA
Questions. Questions. Questions. Who is this man with all of the questions? There, on the other side of the glass. He is not from around here. An accent? Italian? Weird . The man s chocolate brown fedora sits upon the linoleum counter and the the red telephone is pressed to his ear. Did you really work with murderers? With all that you ve seen and heard from these monsters, do you have nightmares? Do you sleep? What about art? Do you like art, Dr. Rearden?
Marcus Rearden answers. The visitor listens with focused and bedazzled interest. What was his name again? Each time Rearden is about to ask, another perfectly phrased question chants into his ear: How have you managed your fame? Your successes? What is it like to be Dr. Marcus Rearden?
What is it like to be Marcus Rearden?
The old psychologist stops the questions with an abrupt raising of his hand. I am incarcerated you son of a bitch! That is what it is like to be me. And who in the hell are you again? What s your name?
The visitor stares.
I see. I get it. You must be the resident shrink, Marcus sneers. You re the poor bastard that was sent here to learn if I m crazy as a shit house rat? The local jailor s head doc, eh?
Not exactly, the man answers. In fact, I would prefer if you were, indeed , as you say, crazy .
Rearden laughs and leans toward the glass, Well crazy I m not. And if there s one thing that I can t stand it s some young, fifty-something shrink trying to analyze my mental state. Mine, of all people. Do you have any idea who I am? Marcus waits for a response that does not come. Listen, I know your job here is a piece of shit-here in this little town. Oh I ve dealt with your pithy type on many occasions. He settles back into the metal chair and relaxes a bit. The thing I can t seem to understand about your position is how you can stomach this level of our practice. How do you keep coming in to work each day? To the city jail house? How can that be an uplifting profession? Aren t your usual customers meth users, and wife abusers? Backward baseball cap, tattooed, Blue Ribbon drinking drunk drivers that like to wrestle with each other? My god man, that must get terribly tedious. Bottom feeders, day in, day out. How do you keep going?
The visitor grins.
Rearden feels a weird sensation, as if the grin is malevolent. During his career he had seen such twisted, leering smiles before. The psychologist narrows his eyes and he begins to scrutinize this person-this visitor suddenly seeming to be something more than a local correctional psychologist. Rearden keeps eye contact. His professional experience makes the subtle confrontation easy for him. What is it lurking behind that smile? That weird smile. Rearden knew weird. He knew to trust his gut when weird happened along.
You impress me, the visitor says finally, his grin fading, then reappearing in his eyes. I was told that you were quite potent in your vocation. It is easy to see why you ve found success. And so, too, how you have become what you have longed to cure.
Who the fuck are you?
What if I were to tell you that I have found a way to rectify the horrors of the human condition. Fear. Pain. Crazy. What if I were to share that remedy with you?
Rearden s eyes widen. The words are familiar as if from out of Loche Newirth s journal. He feels himself blanch-an anxious release of adrenaline. He marks his tone with apathy. Let s just say that I have a former colleague that would love to know of it.
The weird grin appears again. Ah, yes. I would very much like to know more about this colleague of yours. I presume you re speaking of Dr. Loche Newirth? Rearden s eyes flit slightly at Loche s naming. He knows the staring match has been won by his opponent.
Dr. Rearden, I am Ravistelle. Albion Ravistelle. I am the Director of the European Mental Health League. I would very much like to learn more about your former student.
And it comes to Marcus Rearden in a flash-the journal-as if he, himself, was standing before the artist Basil Fenn at the Uffizi-when Basil Fenn blew his brains out-the way the journal described the event. Rearden s recent past screeches through his soul: the journal, Julia Iris and the treacherous drive through the snow to find Loche. Rearden sees his wife s pale face-terror is frozen there. Vengeance. Yes. It was his former student, Loche Newirth that had caused it all-all this fear-this pain-this crazy. Rearden feels a grin ooze onto his face. He imagines the smile must look-weird. Fate has not forgotten me , Rearden thought. Vengeance is fated.
He brings his face near to the glass. The heat of his words fog on the pane, What do you want to know?
William of Leaves
April, 1338 the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood, England
Young William watched as his mother s fingers transformed to long wisps of green stems. They grew from her hands like yarn flung from a loom. Tiny purple and gold flowers burst from the vines filling the hovel with a moist, sweet scent. The slender shoots weaved across the floor, along the walls and over the small bed where Simon the Thatcher, his wife Margaret and their two daughters lay in a deadly fever. Their faces were bloodless, thin and hollowed by days without food.
Geraldine of Leaves stood in the center of the small room, her arms outstretched and her face raised to the thatched ceiling. Her eyes were closed, and she chanted a soft, rhyming spell. William watched tendrils climb and tangle. The room became a