The Protagonist Speaks

Hi, I’m Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia, and I’m your host for this stop in the Hunt.

If you would like to find out more about the Hunt, please click here – http://vfcscavengerhunt.weebly.com/
Somewhere on this page is a hidden number. Collect all the numbers from all the authors’ posts, and then add them up. Once you’ve added all the numbers, and if I am your last author, please head to the official website and click on the ENTER HERE page to find the entry form. Only entries will the correct number will qualify to win.

The author I’m pleased to be hosting for Virtual FantasyCon’s Blog Hop Hunt today is fantasy Author, Auden Johnson.

Learn the relationships and trials of a new generation of powerful beings. In The Merging Worlds series you meet the Sciell. You’ll discover there’s energy in Darkness. The Sciell use this energy to protect what’s important to them. They age slower and have unusual features like white hair, silver eyes and dark brown skin. Throughout the series, you’re given pieces of the dark puzzle about the Sciell; their history and family relationships and the origin of the energy they wield.

In Jael, it all started with Mascenore Tahylur.

The Darkness was possessed by nine beings who escaped from their world, abandoning their bodies. The Darkness in Jael became their bodies. They, unwittingly, gave it the ability to create energy.

Humans found ways to access this energy, spells mostly. Getting the power wasn’t easy. Few could touch it without being killed. Though many knew about this energy, many more didn’t believe in it. Those who practiced using it were often killed. They hid in the thick forests of Middle Jael and in mountains to practice in peace.
Their spells ripped open Darkness to get the power. They cut open the nine beings who lived in Darkness. The beings were stuck, tortured for a hundred years. Soon, their minds were so far gone they forgot where they came from. They only wanted freedom.

The nine beings were siblings. The oldest was named Haylan Kahya. He attempted to place his mind in a new body, an adult human. Connecting with Darkness allows you to see other’s bad memories. You get near and those bad memories reach out for you. The new hosts couldn’t handle such horrifying images. They removed Haylan’s mind, killing themselves. After many unsuccessful attempts, Haylan decided to put part of his mind inside a child. He figured, as the child grew, the body would become better able to handle the memories.

He befriended an abandoned child, Mascenore Tahylur. The boy agreed to become a host. Mascenore wouldn’t lose control of his body. Haylan would live inside him, granting him long life and a companion forever. Haylan stayed with Mascenore for years, slowly transferring his mind into the new body, creating a space inside where he could live safely without being tortured. It worked. Mascenore learned to close his mind to other’s twisted memories. Haylan settled inside him. Mascenore became the first Sciell.

Haylan granted Mascenore the ability to open Darkness and use its energy, without hurting those still connected to it. Haylan was happy. Mascenore soon, was not. Humans knew he was different. They demanded he use his power to help them. Because of his presence, it became difficult for human to access the energy in Darkness. When Mascenore refused to help them, they treated him like he was a demon. His body overflowed with power. It did things, bad things to those around him. He spent years alone, unable to have a family. He became angry with Haylan.

One day, Mascenore found himself in a village that used abandoned children as slaves. He happened upon a little girl and boy in distress. He felt an instant bond with them for these two were already touched by the energy in Darkness. He saved them both. The children had four other friends. Mascenore took all six children with him.

Haylan decided they would be the hosts for his siblings. Unfortunately, too much time had passed. His remaining two siblings became lost in Darkness. They are partially the reason Darkness still has energy. The other part, the Kahya siblings left their ability to create energy inside Darkness. Giving their new hosts power wasn’t their main concern.
Eygress, Bley, Resnick, Orena, Sanher and Sexton became Mascenore’s children. They were the first Sciell family.

Excerpt from Book 1: The Sciell

“Maggot infested garbage must exist between those ears. I let it go once. You told me you would not walk around alone. I am really tired, Shade, of seeing you bleeding and beaten.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “And if you apologize, I’ll rip off your barren head. You’re apparently incapable of using whatever dim knowledge your moth-eaten brain possesses.”
His angered-fueled words had long since lost any ability to hurt her.
“On top of that, you took half of Wraith’s Lifeblood to launch a physical attack on a Del’Praeli in sceadu. Have I taught you nothing?”
She grinned. “Well, when you put it like that…”
He stopped pacing and faced her. Shade tried not to run screaming.
“This is not a joke, child.”
He raked his fingers through his hair, turning it as wild as his 21 eyes. Nothing Shade said would calm him down. She had to try, though.
“Five years in the human city made me forget how bad it was here. I know Del’Praeli were awful to me. In my memories, they didn’t seem that bad.” Shade unclenched the fist she didn’t know she had balled. Vayle calmed down. “I guess I don’t have…”
His glare cut off her sentence. Once again, she said too much.
“You, baby sister, keep trying to fit your body in a box it was never meant to be in.”
Vayle’s famous saying. His expression eased. She smiled weakly.

About the Author

Auden tells stories with words and images. As a kid, she created her own books by folding several construction papers in half and stapling them down the middle, adding her own illustrations. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get away from writing. She holds a B.A. in English, a M.S. in Library and Information Science and a M.S. in Publishing: Digital and Print. She studied Creative Writing in England. She’s an Author/Marketing Consultant for Aubey LLC, a small press publisher. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. Her short stories and novellas are on Amazon. Her novels can be found on aubeyllc.com. She loves answering your publishing, writing, personal brand or marketing questions. Email her at audendjohnson@gmail.com.

To connect with Auden visit: Website | Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter

Did you find the number? If you did, then click Auden Johnson’s link – http://audenstreasury.blogspot.com/ to continue Virtual FantasyCon’s Blog Hop Hunt.