Guest Post and Excerpt: The City of the Mirage by Jerome Brooke

About the book: 

The Divine Astarte is one of the last of her race. Her kind seeded many worlds with life. One of these realms was the planet of the Warrior.

The City of the Mirage in a dark fantasy!

Astarte is feared, not loved by her people - she is the Destroyer of Worlds. She is served by a legion of shield maidens. These cruel warriors are feared by all. They commit all manner of atrocities, such as impalement.

The people of her empire are also terrorized by the Beast Men. They are the offspring of members of an alien race and the daughters of men. They feed on human flesh.

Astarte still rules in the City of the Mirage!

About the author:

Jerome Brooke lives in the Kingdom of Siam. He is the consort of Jira, Princess of the lost Kingdom of Nan. Jerry has two children, Justin and Jirachaya. He is a retired attorney. He served as City Attorney, Ellettsville, Indiana. He has written The City of the Mirage (Books to Go Now) and many other books.

Her Royal Majesty, Jira, a princess of the lost Kingdom of Nan

Jira was born in Nan, in the rugged Highlands far to the north of Bangkok.

The Teak House of the King of Nan

Nan is an ancient Kingdom, and still has its royal family. Many of its people have a few drops of the old royal blood. The kings and magnates had many wives and concubines - over the centuries.

Even now, Nan is remote and hard to reach. The people until recently took their laundry to the banks of the River Nan.

The fields along the River Nan are rich and bountiful

Only recently was it incorporated as a province of Thailand. Jerome and his two ladies were recently on vacation in Nan. The sober Siamese were willing to kindly tolerate the whimsies of a poet and dreamer - one who is clearly a little mad. A dear friend, Kathy, escorted us to the fine museum and art gallery of the town.

Jirachaya, beloved by her future subjects, reigns supreme in the remote region. She has been crowned as Miss Superstar 2011. The beauty of Eurasian girls is much admired in the Kingdom.

October is the time of the Dragon Boat races in Nan. The long boats may be seen on the River Nan. Nan has a dark history of war.

The River Nan flows - the River Gods oblivious to the wars and travails of the Siamese and the men of the West

The King of Pagan (Burma) carried off the people of Nan into slavery long ago.

Remote - the lost kingdom remains as it ever was lost in the hills and unknown to the world.

In the remote regions the Hill Tribes eke out a living. The children have little chance of an education or escape. The Siamese view them with disdain - as they do much of the rest of the world!

The muse stood at the side of the blind bard. She whispered in his ear, telling him the history of the demigod, of the Conqueror.

Myth of the Lady of the Myst, II, vii.

The mirage appeared very close. I could see the white towers of the city, as they shimmered on the horizon. I wiped the sweat from my brow with my sleeve, and took a sip of water from my canteen.

I looked over my shoulder. I could no longer see the enemy chase cars. They had been in pursuit since last night, when my plane went down. I had parachuted from my wounded craft, and landed in the desert. After I landed, I fled into the empty waste, hoping that my beacon would be heard by our rescue.

I resumed walking. Perhaps I had come all this way only to die of thirst in this wasteland. I checked my canteen. Almost empty.

I tried my radio once more. Nothing – not even static.

I continued walking in the light breeze. I soon came to a boulder field.  I walked among the rocks for a few minutes, until I came to the edge of a ravine.  I glanced over the edge, and saw a fast moving stream below.

I climbed down the steep slope to the floor of the ravine. I filled my canteen, and pulled off my flight suit. I plunged into the water, and rinsed off the dust.

I sat upon a rock near the edge of the stream, to rest for a time. I soon pulled on my flight suit, and began to follow the stream. As I walked, a strange blue mist began to form, near the ground. The mist persisted, even tho a breeze began to stir the air.

I came to a large bolder jutting out into the stream.  I walked around it, and saw movement out of the corner of my eye.  I turned, and saw a woman of middle years stepping out of the stream.

“Hello,” she said with a smile. She spoke with a heavy accent.

“Hello,” I replied, and smiled. She had black hair, and dark, olive skin. She did not seem to mind that she had nothing on, in the strong breeze. This was all passing strange.

“I am the Lady of the Myst. Are you lost, Warrior?”

“Well, yes. I am heading west,” I managed to collect myself and say.

She pointed down the ravine. “Follow the stream.  It leads to the plain.  If you see anyone else, they may help you.”

I nodded.

“I must leave you now. But you will see me soon, when you are ready.” She came up to me, and wrapped her arms around me. She kissed, and gently bit my neck. I felt a little dizzy, and also felt a strong attraction to her.

“Am I Enthralled by the Lady, the beautiful Lady Without Mercy?” I asked myself.

THE COMPLETE BOOK IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON…

Jerome Brooke--Links 

Facebook: jrogersbarrow@yahoo.com

email:  jeromevbrooke@yahoo.com

and jrogersbarrow@yahoo.com

http://bookstogonow.com/circleofstone.html

http://runesofthebard.wordpress.com

http://cityofthemirage.wordpress.com

The City of the Mirage

http://www.amazon.com/The-City-Mirage-ebook/dp/B008C2MNRG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1353214650&sr=1-1&keywords=the+city+of+mirage

Thanks SO much to Jerome for stopping by and sharing the excerpt and guest post!