Marked by Fate: Origins: An Exclusive Collection of Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction Short Stories Read online

  MARKED BY FATE: ORIGINS

  An Exclusive Collection of Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction Short Stories

  Kristin D. Van Risseghem, Rhonda Sermon, Melissa A. Craven, Kelly St. Clare, Amalie Jahn, Melle Amade, Debra Kristi, Ingrid Seymour, Alisha Klapheke, Lena Mae Hill, Sarah K. L. Wilson, D. L. Armillei, Jamie Thornton, Hilary Thompson, and Erin Hayes

  KASIAN PUBLISHING LLC

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  MARKED BY FATE: ORIGINSChapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter ThreeCall to Action

  About the Author

  Jonah’s Curse

  Chapter OneCall to Action

  About the Author

  EMERGE

  Catalyst

  The Immortals

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter FourCall to Action

  The Apple Rebellion

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter SixCall to Action

  About the Author

  Time Travel:

  History and Legal Procedures

  A Manual for Travel Candidates

  Call to Action

  INSTINCT

  Chapter OneCall to Action

  About the Author

  A Becoming Attribute

  Chapter OneCall to Action

  About the Author

  Unsweet

  Chapter OneCall to Action

  About the Author

  Kingsman

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter ThreeAbout the Author

  Before the Magic

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter ThreeCall to Action

  About the Author

  Prince of Hawks

  Chapter OneCall to Action

  About the Author

  Hag’s Hut on the Hill

  Deleted SceneCall to Action

  About the Author

  Doormaker: Devil’s Harvest

  Chapter OneCall to Action

  About the Author

  Wrath of Witches

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter FiveCall to Action

  About the Author

  I Want to be a Pirate

  Chapter OneCall to Action

  About the Author

  MARKED BY FATE: ORIGINS

  ~

  Beginnings. Secrets. Deleted Scenes.

  Kristin D. Van Risseghem | Rhonda Sermon Melissa A. Craven | Kelly St. Clare

  Amalie Jahn | Melle Amade | Debra Kristi

  Ingrid Seymour | Alisha Klapheke | Lena Mae Hill

  Sarah K. L. Wilson | D. L. Armillei

  Jamie Thornton | Hilary Thompson | Erin Hayes

  MARKED BY FATE: ORIGINS

  © July 2017

  Kasian Publishing LLC

  PO Box 211205

  Eagan, MN 55124

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For more information contact: email.com or visit the author’s website at

  MarkedbyFate.com

  Book cover design by: Damonza

  ISBN 13: 9781943207749

  Beginnings. Secrets. Deleted Scenes.

  Transport yourself to other worlds with 15 Marked by Fate teen warriors …

  … encounter shadows, queens, witches, and wizards who battle against immortals, angels, vampires, demons, genetically engineered soldiers, robots and gods. Let yourself be swept away by adventures in magical fantasy worlds, mind-blowing dystopian lands, space stations, galaxies, and alternate timelines.

  The short stories and deleted scenes in Marked by Fate: Origins are exclusive to this collection and they go away—some of them forever—when the Marked by Fate full box set releases in October 2017.

  Gain a glimpse of where the action begins, including a deeper look into some of your favorite characters! Get the Marked by Fate: Origins collection today to join these teen warriors in their adventures.

  Ninjas & Nephilims by Kristin D. Van Risseghem

  Jonah’s Curse by Rhonda Sermon

  Emerge: The Catalyst by Melissa A. Craven

  The Apple Rebellion by Kelly St. Clare

  Brooke’s Time Travel Notebook by Amalie Jahn

  Instinct by Melle Amade

  A Becoming Attribute by Debra Kristi

  Unsweet by Ingrid Seymour

  Kingsman by Alisha Klapheke

  Before the Magic by Lena Mae Hill

  Prince of Hawks by Sarah K. L. Wilson

  Hag’s Hut on the Hill by D. L. Armillei

  Doormaker: Devil’s Harvest by Jamie Thornton

  Wrath of Witches by Hilary Thompson

  I Want to be a Pirate by Erin Hayes

  Purchase Marked by Fate

  Defined by Their Choices

  A collection of 25 Fantasy and Science Fiction YA coming of age novels from New York Times, USA Today, International, Amazon bestselling and Award-Winning authors!!

  This action-packed boxset is filled with teen warriors who encounter queens, witches, wizards, werewolves, shifters, angels, and gods. Follow genetically engineered soldiers, cyborgs, and robots discover magical hidden fantasy worlds, encounter mind-blowing dystopian lands, space stations, and galaxies they could never have dreamed existed while traveling through time into uncharted territories. Marked by Fate to complete these deadly and dangerous quests filled with nonstop action and adventure!

  NINJAS & NEPHILIMS

  An Enlighten Series Short Story

  Kristin D. Van Risseghem

  Ninjas & Nephilims © 2017 Kristin D. Van Risseghem

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Son, what’s bothering you?”

  “Nothing, Dad.”

  “Don’t give me that. I feel your discomfort from here.” He slowly rose from the boulder and rolled his shoulders, as if they were sore. But I knew the truth. He didn’t show fatigue. Ever. It was his way to
‘play’ human. “I know something’s up with you. Now what is it? If you don’t tell me, I’ll grab it out of your mind. You know I don’t like doing that.”

  “I know. It’s just that ...” My eyes stared out toward the calming blue water. “I don’t want to be ‘special’.”

  “Where’s this coming from?”

  “No place.” I turned my head; I couldn’t look at him. If I did, he’d see my pain. “A group of co-workers were going to play football in the park and—”

  “You know you can’t.” He shook his head.

  “I know. I just wish I could.”

  “I understand.” He placed his warm hand on my shoulder. Another loving movement. “Remember when I first brought you here? I think it was a bit warmer than it is now. You recall what I told you?”

  How could I forget something as monumental as what he had said that day? Before he had confirmed my suspicions, I figured out we were different, but couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was that made me unlike all the other kids in the neighborhood.

  Dad took me here to this exact spot along the Mississippi River when I was in grade school. He thought it was ‘time’. Time for a man-to-man talk. I was eight, then. I wasn’t a man yet.

  What right did he have to lecture me?

  He wasn’t around because he had some sort of a sales job. Or that’s what my parents agreed to tell me. So, it was Mom and me living in southern California until we moved to Minnesota with a bunch of his rules. There were many days when I longed for him to live with us. To be with us. But there were times, too, that I didn’t want a constant reminder that I was different.

  And yet, I idolized him. There was something mysterious about him. After all, it wasn’t like he mistreated me, or Mom. I could see the love in his eyes for her, and me. I felt his love, too. He never missed a birthday, a major human holiday, or a special event at school. We did take a few vacations over the years, but he mainly worked.

  Was I being selfish? Probably, but I was a kid. I didn’t understand it, or why, or what he really was.

  I didn’t grasp what I would become until I was older, either.

  They told me their story many times. How Mom had been waitress at a diner in Santa Clara when they met. One summer day he—Gabriel—had stopped in for a late lunch. It was a slow day, so they had plenty of time to talk. He returned the next day and the next, eventually convincing her to have dinner with him and did whatever other young couples did back in the 1930’s.

  She knew she was in love with him. She would have done anything he asked. Dad told her what he was, and why he couldn’t marry her. All because of the rules. He said she was with child and that the child would be special.

  I’d live longer than normal people. I’d have abilities that no ordinary boy should have.

  Gabriel loved Mom so much he asked God to grant her a longer life, too. That way she could raise and protect me, since he couldn’t be a normal dad. God had sympathy, but didn’t grant his prayer. So, Gabriel gave some his life force to her.

  If you hadn’t followed some of the key words, I’d spell it out for you.

  There’s no such thing as a chance encounter. Not with Gabriel, or his ‘co-workers’.

  Prayers were wishes that humans asked to God. But what Gabriel requested wasn’t a wish.

  Life force? Longer lives?

  So yeah, I remembered what he had told me.

  “I’m an angel, Shay.”

  I remembered that sentence; still do.

  The lilt of his tongue with the slight accent that made him sound ancient. What does an eight-year-old say? I had said: “I knew it! Well, not that exactly. Never in a million years would I have guessed that. I thought maybe you were really wealthy and that we were going to be rich and famous ...” Or along those lines. I really don’t recall the exact wording. After all, it was a long time ago.

  It was not what I expected him to say. Well, okay, it was.

  If he was an angel, what did that make me?

  Slowly the pieces fell into place, but it took me years to really comprehend it.

  His ‘sales job’ was to recruit others like me to the good side of the coming war.

  All I wanted was to be like everyone else.

  I wasn’t born an angel. I’d be taller, stronger, and faster than other kids my age. And it’d be wrong to use my strengths to weaken others. No one liked a showoff. I would get wings and have heightened human senses. I would grow up and look normal, but live a very long life.

  That day on the river front, Dad continued to talk about the difficult choices he made and sometimes he was forced to sacrifice for the greater good. Then he told me that when he’d met Mom, it hadn’t been by chance. He’d been watching her for a while, and he’d seen the good in her. He knew she would make the sacrifice needed for me one day.

  Mom had told me that when I was a baby, people volunteered to look after me. She worked at the diner while putting herself through nursing school; it helped on a single-parent income since no one would accept money for babysitting me. I never fussed, never cried, never threw tantrums. By the time I grew to be a toddler, people raved how cute I was. They made comments about my striking blonde hair and startling aqua eyes.

  By high school, I had a body every guy dreamed of and every girl wanted me on their arm. I never worked out, besides running, but had arms and legs of steal and abs that put body builders to shame. I wasn’t sure if the others like me had the same attributions or not because I never met another.

  When I turned eighteen, I received the Heaven’s Mark: two silver iridescent wings with the golden Triquetra symbol in the center. I ran my fingers over the mark, remembering what Dad said about my special gift that all people like me received, “Now you’re marked to be His warrior.” Then he presented me with a silver sword, blessed by God, and told me to treat it with the utmost respect for it’s a reward for being His servant. Silver wings sprouted from my shoulder blades. And just like my wings can appear and disappear, so does the sword; each unique to the individual and plays to his or her strengths.

  All the years I’d gone to school, students and teachers alike swooned over me. Being part angel definitely had something to do with it.

  After college and getting my business degree, it was easy for me to get a sales job. Following in Dad’s footstep, so to speak. I only applied to one place, Merritt’s Cars. I probably could’ve had a higher paying salary or any job in the world but I wanted to be an honest guy who sold a product to the average, working family.

  And I loved cars.

  That’s how I managed to get my black ’57 Chevy Bel Air.

  A lot of things came naturally to me. Sure, I had to work hard, but my looks got me further. I had lived on my own during the nineteen-fifties until the seventies. Mom moved back to California after I graduated high school. She couldn’t continue in the cold climate. We had moved around a lot to various cities in Minnesota, every decade or so. Mom loved the last house in California we’d been living in and maybe that was why Mom moved back there. She missed the warm weather. It was also just time to move on.

  And so I stood, on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minnesota. Next to my dad—the Archangel Gabriel—who was about to give me some sort of speech.

  I wasn’t born an angel.

  I was born a Nephilim.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Shay, I know this is going to be a lot for you to take in. It’s your mother.”

  “What about Mom?”

  “She plans to move back to Minnesota.”

  “But she loves it in California.”

  “I know. She loves you more. You’ve been here in the Twin Cities by yourself for a while and you’ll be here for a bit longer. Michael thinks you’ll be needed here soon. Your mother found a house that she absolutely adores. It’s in Buffalo, a small town just north of Minneapolis. You both enjoyed living near water so I sort of already purchased the property for you both.”

  “Her?”

&nbs
p; “Yes. It’s almost time. There’s been rumblings on earth, in Fairyland, and even in Hell. You remember the prophecy?”

  “How can I forget it?”

  “Tell it to me then, since I’m getting old and forgetful.”

  “You’re not forgetful.” I shook my head, but proceed to recite the words instilled into me since I could first speak:

  Glory!

  Babe born.

  First and last.

  Heaven and unto Earth.

  Receives the highest in jubilation.

  Enlightens will unite, they shall band.

  Triumph be if darkness is driven back.

  Help found who love, the world will stand.

  “So, where is the house?” I asked.

  “On a lovely body of water called Lake Mary,” he replied. “It’s surrounded by dense forest on the north, and rolling hills as far as the eye can see to the south. You’ll love it.”

  “I’m sure we will.”

  “That’s the spirit, my son. Duty comes first. You’ll be so busy with the new house, keeping your mother company, and missions that you won’t have time for anything else.”

  Yeah, duty always came first.

  I’ve had little to no friends over the years, but maybe that was part of my doing. I pushed them away, didn’t really try to become close since I knew I’d outlive them. Duty always comes first. I sighed.

  “Alright. I’ll start moving my things over the next couple of weeks. When will Mom get here? I should at least clean and fix the house before she comes.”

  “We’ll work on the house together. Just like a father and son would. And maybe you’ll find some people your own age.”

  “Let’s just get what needs to be done.”