Meet Athamar
“Threats are for people without the
balls to get the job done.”
A hero is only as worthy as the villain
they’re up against. When creating Athamar, I knew I wanted him to be Nathan
Shepherd’s opposite in a variety of ways. Where Nathan was more hawkish and
quick, Athamar would have a lantern jaw, broad shoulders, and “shovels” for
hands. He would be the stereotypical alpha male, contrasting Nathan, who in Locked Within, found much of his
strength from embracing the qualities of a previous incarnation as a woman.
Where Nathan’s power comes from uniting all aspects of himself, both masculine
and feminine, Athamar is a rejection of anything kind and sensitive. He is
entirely built from hate, lies, and raw brutality. Even his name was created as
a variation on the word “anathema”, as his goals and motivations are all violations
of the natural order upheld by the reborn.
((Spoiler Alert!)) We first met Athamar in Locked
Within, where he was Nathan’s best friend, Ben Hunt. His memories had been
sealed away by Nathan in their previous lifetimes, in the hopes it would
prevent his enemy from returning again. However, Morrigan released all of his
past memories at once, driving him insane. Unable to control what memories he
experiences, Athamar is trapped in a cycle of experiencing all his most painful
and most wonderful memories. He has become numbed to pleasures, and tormented
by suffering. But with this comes a powerful advantage. While the reborn are
able to draw strength from their past lives, it takes concentration and
willpower to do so effectively. Athamar has all the strength of his past
incarnations to call on, all at once. This makes him a particularly dangerous
opponent, one who Nathan has never been able to defeat once and for all.
In Memory War, readers will learn more of
Athamar's history, and his reasons for hunting Nathan and Elena across their
lifetimes. His alliance with Morrigan brings with it a war that will leave New
York in flames, its citizens in fear, and Nathan's every strength stripped
away, piece by piece.
How do you stop an enemy who keeps coming
back to fight again?
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Memory War
The Memory Wars Trilogy
Book 3
Paul Anthony Shortt
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: WiDo Publishing LLC
Date of Publication: September 2nd, 2014
ISBN: 978-1937178550
ASIN: 1937178552
Number of pages: 330
Word Count: 104,500
Cover Artist: Steven Novak
Book Description:
War is coming to New York. Nathan Shepherd's growing band of followers is dedicated to protecting the city, but they now face their greatest threat.
Athamar returns, plunging the city into chaos. Uniting the forces of darkness against Nathan and his allies, Athamar strives to discover a secret hidden for thousands of years. A secret lost to Nathan's memories. Something so dangerous, even the gods themselves fear it.
Nathan and Elena were once the greatest of heroes, champions against evil. Now, haunted by Nathan's past-life betrayal, they must work together and brave the pain of long-buried lifetimes. Somewhere, locked within their former incarnations, lies the key to stopping Athamar, an enemy who has hunted them from one incarnation to the next.
As the city burns and innocents suffer, as heroes fall and hope dies, Nathan and Elena face their final battle, a battle where legends will be reborn.
Available at Amazon
Excerpt
Chapter One
Tuxedos were the
worst. At least in the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, even during the
Renaissance, clothing, men’s especially, was designed to allow enough freedom
of movement to fight or defend oneself. The 21st century had long seen the end
of that. Nathan Shepherd’s feet blistered in polished shoes. He was sure they
were too small, despite what the man in the rental store had said, and found
himself longing for a practical form of battle dress which would also go with
black tie events.
He scanned the
ballroom as he descended the marble steps. The scent of expensive perfume
drifted across the air, accompanied by the gentle sway of a string quartet on
the stage. Tugging at his collar, Nathan walked to the buffet table and plucked
a glass of champagne.
“Status?”
Cynthia Keller’s voice crackled in his earpiece.
“Champagne’s not
bad,” he said, softly. “Not sure about the caviar though.”
“You’re supposed
to be watching the mayor.”
“I’m getting
into character.”
“Well listen,
007, we’ve got four people who just went in through the kitchen door and one of
them looks a lot like Lucius.”
Lucius was a
vampire, one of the top-ranking enforcers for the Council of Chains. He’d been
seen on the street a lot since Dorian went missing last year.
“Were they
armed?” Nathan asked, sipping the champagne.
“Couldn’t see,”
Cynthia replied. “Nothing big, at least. No heavy bags or boxes that could
conceal large amounts of weaponry.”
“How are they
going to do this?”
“Poison?”
Cynthia said. “That’s how they got the chief of police.”
“Difficult,”
Nathan said. So many people were taking hors d’oeuvres and drinks from tables
and passing servers that it would be impossible to predict what the mayor would
take. “Unless they poison something other than the food,” Nathan said. He
frowned. It was something to watch for.
“What else is
there?” Cynthia asked. “This is too big for a bomb or a shooter.”
“Keep me posted
on anything suspicious entering or leaving the building,” Nathan said, sipping
his drink and wandering along the dance floor. The crowd on the dance floor
parted and he saw the mayor speaking to a group seated at a table.
“I have him,”
Nathan said. “Tommy, what’s your status?” This was Tommy’s first time in the
field, and he was doing everything he could not to seem nervous.
“Uh, restroom,”
his voice came back through Nathan’s earpiece.
“You’re supposed
to be by the stage.”
“Sorry boss,”
Tommy said. “Must have been the crab meat crackers.”
“I’ve got
Green,” Nathan said. “I need your eyes out here.”
“I’ll do my…”
The sound of Tommy’s voice was replaced by retching and the splash of liquid
hitting liquid. Nathan’s stomach turned a little.
“Just give me a minute,”
Tommy said, coughing.
Movement caught
Nathan’s eye. Four men moving through the crowd, shoulders set back and arms
loose. They were ready to pounce. “I don’t have a minute.” Where was Lucius?
One of them
nodded across the ballroom. Nathan turned to follow the gaze and spotted Lucius
emerging from a staff door. Nathan set his glass down and started across the
dance floor.
Then he saw her,
flowing across the floor in a backless scarlet dress, split along the sides to
reveal her sculpted calves and thighs. Three ebony hairpins held her long black
hair in a coiled bun, leaving only a few tantalising locks framing her face.
She turned and narrowed her eyes. He wondered how many other people would have
been able to spot the marks on her arms and back where she’d used make-up to
cover her scars. Marks earned in battle. Nathan’s gaze drifted of its own
accord, up each curve from her hips to her neck, settling for a moment on her
blood red lips and wide, practiced smile. Her sea green eyes fixed him and she
advanced, sweeping toward him and locking her arms around his shoulders.
“Elena,” he
said. “What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you
get out alive,” she said. Her smile never faltered. She pulled Nathan into the
crowd as the musicians started up a new piece.
“I don’t have
time to dance.” He tried to pull away, but Elena held him firm. Nathan placed
his hands on her hips and pushed, but she pressed herself against him. He
shivered and inhaled her perfume.
“You have four
behind you,” she said, “and another four coming from the staff entrance.”
“I know,” he
said, leading her across the floor in time to the music. “Lucius is leading
them. It’s a Council hit.” He glanced to the side. “Two more on your left,
dancing.” They moved apart, keeping their steps in perfect rhythm.
Elena flicked
her eyes around. “Three by the stairs. Just you?”
Nathan shook his
head as they closed in together again. “Tommy’s inside. Cynthia and Cadence are
watching from the next building. Sue’s got the truck waiting.”
“Sam?”
“Watching the
bar.”
“You should have
Cadence in here,” she said.
“I can handle
this,” he said.
“You need help.”
Nathan smirked
and dipped Elena, gazing down at her.
“That’s the
wrong step,” she said.
Nathan felt the
energy in the crowd shift. A forgotten sense most mortals possessed, but which
only those regularly exposed to the supernatural were aware of, allowed the
detection of emotional energy and even the presence of supernatural creatures
and magical effects. The crowd was nervous. Eyes moved to Nathan and Elena.
People backed away. One of the men approaching from behind Elena flashed a
grin, showing a pair of long fangs.
“It’s time to
change the tempo,” Nathan said. “Allegro, perhaps?”
Elena nodded and
reached for one of her hair pins. Nathan pulled her back up and she threw the
pin. It flew straight into the heart of one of the Council agents. Nathan
ignored the scream and delivered a side-kick to the sternum of the vampire
behind Elena.
“Tommy,” Nathan
yelled into his radio. “Where are you?”
Nathan spotted
him pushing his way through the crowd as two more vampires moved in on him and
Elena. They fought back to back. Elena kicked off her shoes and used another
hair pin as a close-range stabbing weapon. Nathan blocked a wild punch and
twisted the vampire’s arm, breaking it at the elbow joint. The vampire yelled
and Nathan spun, hurling him against the buffet table.
A female vampire
leaped onto Nathan’s back. Her hiss closed in on his ear as she reached for his
throat. Nathan reached around to grab her, but another vampire kicked him in
the stomach.
Tommy tried to
push onto the dance floor, but the crowd was too thick and panicked.
“Cadence,”
Nathan said, struggling to breathe as the woman on his back tried to strangle
him. “Now.”
A window smashed
inward as a rolled-up black wrap flew through the air. It landed close to
Nathan and fell open, revealing the hilt of his sword.
“Elena!”
The woman on
Nathan’s back seized and shrieked. Her grip loosened. Nathan spun his hips and
threw her off. One of Elena’s pins stuck out of her back. These vampires
weren’t dying immediately upon wood piercing their hearts. That meant they were
older; more powerful than the average street vampires. They’d need their heads
cut off or their bodies burned to finish them off for good.
Nathan dove for
his sword, snatching it and slashing the next vampire’s leg. He rolled to his
feet and swung down as the vampire’s fingernails grew into long black claws.
Its hands fell away and the vampire shrieked, running from Nathan.
Elena reached
for the roll of weapons and took two small curved axes. Five vampires
surrounded them. Nathan pointed for Tommy to get to the mayor and he nodded,
running to the stage. The vampires pounced.
Nathan and Elena
reacted as one, fighting off their attackers with precision and unity honed
over a hundred lifetimes. Dark blood splattered the dance floor as they cut
down the vampires one by one. With every heartbeat, Nathan felt Elena’s soul
pulsing and his own respond in kind. They breathed in unison, feeling what the
other felt, seeing what the other saw. It was in this, the work of performing
death, that their last true bond remained. Nathan was almost used to the
regret. It urged him on, giving him power, bringing forth memories of past-life
battles to fuel his strength and speed. He reached into those memories now,
plucking one from the chaos and taking his past-self’s adrenaline to keep his
mind focused on the task at hand. There was no room for mistakes here.
About the Author:
A child at heart who turned to writing and roleplaying games when there simply weren't enough action figures to play out the stories he wanted, Paul Anthony Shortt has been writing all his life.
Growing up surrounded by music, film and theatre gave him a deep love of all forms of storytelling, each teaching him something new he could use. When not playing with the people in his head, he enjoys cooking and regular meet-ups with his gaming group.
He lives in Ireland with his wife Jen and their dogs, Pepper and Jasper. Their first child, Conor William Henry Shortt, was born on July 11th, 2011. He passed away three days later, but brought love and joy into their lives and those of their friends.
The following year, Jen gave birth to twins, Amy and Erica. Their fourth child, Olivia, was born in January, 2014.
http://paulanthonyshortt.blogspot.com
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1 comment:
Thanks for having me here! :-)
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