Prophecy of the Awakening

By Daniel A. Willis

Can a fortune-teller, a scientist, a starlet, and a bounty hunter defy the might of the Vatican to bring about the
Prophecy of the Awakening?

Prophecy of the Awakening is recommended for readers of urban fantasy who enjoy stories of struggle, gods, and prophecies affecting modern society and revolves around Greek gods who return to Earth despite the beliefs of the Vatican and a modern Christian world.
The prophecy in this book predicts this event; but many are unaware of these possibilities, leading lives that have little to do with celestial matters. These lives are nicely depicted and juxtaposed with the concerns of fortune tellers and Christian leaders alike.
What does this have to do with Amber's blossoming new relationship, a kidnapping, and the Church's incongruous efforts to destroy a child? As the story evolves, readers are treated to a satisfying blend of Vatican politics, a mystery and an investigation, and a prediction about an antichrist that challenges belief systems and science alike.
By keeping his story firmly rooted in contemporary society with its twists and turns, Daniel A. Willis creates an involving, engrossing story that eschews any predictable focus on Greek mythology in favor of modern characters and dilemmas that focus on both their choices and the impact of an impossible forecast. When Greek gods begin to appear and intervene in the world, it's this thorough grounding in a realistic society and its concerns that keeps Prophecy of the Awakening a powerful, revealing tale with believable protagonists whose lives intertwine nicely with the fantasy elements crafted to fruition, as the chapters evolve.
The result is thoroughly engrossing and highly recommended for readers who enjoy fantasies about prophecy and belief which have their foundations firmly rooted in powerful protagonists and their lives, relationships, and motivations. - D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

APOCALYPSE DOES NOT MEAN THE END....IT ONLY MEANS CHANGE!

Nikki thought she was crazy. Now she knows that not only is the voice in her head real, it is the voice of a goddess!
David is a devout Catholic. Can he continue to cling to his faith in the light of what is going on around him?
Cardinal Santarem knows the truth. But he is not going to let it tear down two thousand years of religious domination.
Amber is a self-absorbed Hollywood starlet. She is the last person anyone would choose to become a mother, let alone the one who will fulfill the Prophecy of the Awakening.

• Language: English
• Publisher: DX Varos Publishing
• Release date: Sep 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370112296

Daniel A. Willis

Daniel A. Willis is a noted royal author and genealogist of the noble houses of Europe. His previous publications have included genealogies of the Royal Family of Great Britain, the Imperial House of Habsburg, and the Royal House of Bourbon. Books currently in print: Romanovs in the 21st Century William IV, Mrs. Jordan and the Family They Made The Archduke's Secret Family A Reference Guide to the Royal Families (2012 edition) Mr. Willis lives in Denver, Colorado

Book preview

As always I am forever grateful to the Thursday Night Book Group for their group-think editorial services. They keep my penchant for giving history lectures in check. Furthermore, I give my sincerest thanks to Kate Veadon for her proofreading expertise. She makes sure all the t’s are dotted and the i’s are crossed!

Daniel A. Willis

Summer 2017

Prelude

Dr. David Hammond watched the once-in-a-millennium event unfold on his monitor. The image was relayed from the Paix space telescope. Occultations of planets, where one moves in front of, and obscures the view of the other, were occasional at best, but this was the rarest combination in the solar system.

Hammond found it ironic that he watched for the signs of Armageddon using a telescope with the name for peace in French. His models had been inconclusive. This could go either way: Venus could slide past Mars in the heavens and only partially cover it, or she could completely obscure the further planet, triggering the signal David was dreading.

As he watched, Venus came into view. She appeared to be only a sliver crescent, since the Sun was behind and to the left of it. The darkened sphere would serve nicely to show the degree of totality of the darker planet covering the brighter planet behind it. Mars, being much further away and fully lit by the sun, appeared as a small drop of butterscotch awaiting a hungry sweet-tooth. To Hammond, the crescent of Venus looked as if she were reaching her arms towards Mars. As they moved closer in the image, she appeared first to kiss, then slowly devour, her brother planet. David kept glancing back and forth between the screen and the digital display which showed the percentage of Mars that was covered.

Mars disappeared from view. Even though he knew what he would see, he confirmed it by looking at the digital display. Mars was 100 percent covered by Venus. Hammond noted the time: 4:16 a.m. Hawaiian time.

His heart clenched with fear, David picked up the phone. After relaying what he had just seen into the mouthpiece we waited as he heard the man he’d called repeat what he’d said, in Italian, to someone in the background. Next he heard the unmistakable voice of the pope praying.

Chapter 1

Amber

Amber Davidson was bored. These parties were all the same. All of the same tired people milling about, eating the same tired appetizers and talking about the same tired topics: movies and money. The real show was always the entrances; once the red carpet into the award show had been walked and the press had snapped their thousands of photos, the rest was tedious. Even the awards had lost their luster of excitement.

Of course, maybe Amber would have been more interested if she had been nominated for anything. But that was not her shtick. She was a comedic actress. She did the fun romantic comedies that made money, made people famous, but didn’t get serious awards.

She sauntered across the room, knowing every straight man and gay gal would be fixated on her slowly swaying butt as she moved. Let them look; there was no one there she was interested in. They were free to dream the impossible dream all they wanted. But, since these folks were the people who decided who starred in what movie, it would likely get her another starring role in another blockbuster film. The gown she wore was designed to draw attention to the posterior. Not that Amber needed help there. She worked hard to keep her body in a perfect hourglass shape. Her regimen would allow her one more glass of champagne. If she sipped it slowly, she could nurse it until it was late enough to make a graceful exit.

This venue was quite intimate and made a wonderful area for a small and exclusive party. Teddy Winters, the movie mogul who owned the house, did not like big crowds in any of his houses, so he used this, his smallest, for the after-awards party. The space limitations allowed him to invite only the people he absolutely wanted to be there and to ignore the rest of the riff-raff of Hollywood. Amber was there to add some youth and beauty to an otherwise aging and sagging guest list.

As she paraded her assets before the power crowd, she overheard snippets of conversations. The two older grand dames on the sofa discussed gardening tips; that wildly successful director, who made three super profitable films back-to-back, made obscene advances on the closeted A-list actor; two writers were going on about a very rare astronomical event scheduled for near dawn, something about Venus and Mars meeting; all very boring.

Because of space constraints, there was only a serving station at the end of the room where guests could get some light appetizers or a variety of beverages. A larger house would have had waiters walking about bringing trays to the guests instead of the guests going to the food. But Amber didn’t mind the opportunity to pass through the field of vision of various producers.

She was about to ask for a new glass of champagne when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a movement down the steps to her left. She turned and gazed through a short hallway and down a few steps at a man dressed entirely too casually to be a party guest. He was standing barefoot on the landing, wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a simple denim button down, with the shirttail hanging loose. He was about to enter a side room off the landing, when he stopped and looked up at Amber.

He was about six foot three, with jet-black hair and the most beautiful sky-blue eyes she had ever seen. His face had just enough stubble to be sexy. It blended with the thick chest hair escaping from the top of his partially unbuttoned shirt. His look was completely out of place in a house filled with Hollywood elite in their designer best.

They stood at opposite ends of the staircase, staring at each other for only a few seconds, but an eternity of longing passed between them. Amber had slept her way through all of the A-list—and many of the B-list actors—in Hollywood looking for a mate to satisfy her and bring excitement to her life. She always came away disappointed. But somehow she knew, just from this one look, that he was the one.

He continued to stare up the steps at her, his face alight as if he was looking at an angel shining down from Heaven. Gazing down at him, Amber wondered if this was Lucifer, the great tempter, himself. She slowly descended the stairs towards the dark-haired vision of sin incarnate.

Somehow, I doubt you’re here for the party, she said.

Nah, I’m just a houseguest. Here for a bit of R and R, my mate Teddy put me up. I’m Derek.

I’m Amber. Where are you visiting from? She noticed the lyrical accent right away and was guessing Australia or New Zealand.

South Africa, a small burg called Pretoria, he replied. I assume you live in L.A., then?

Ah yes, I’m part of the illusion that is Hollywood. And trust me; it really is just an illusion.

I pride myself on being able to see through peoples’ illusions.

And what do you see through mine? She looked down coyly.

Someone who is seeking. Not waiting for an invitation, or asking permission, he pulled her into his substantial arms and after only the slightest hesitation, to see if she would object, kissed her.

She was taken off guard by his sudden and bold move. She was used to all of the games guys play: the small talk, the compliments, the veiled passes which eventually become more overt. But this guy, this moment, was different. When he pulled her to him, her immediate response should have been to pull away, to make him want her even more by initially denying him. But her body failed her. Somehow the flesh found what the heart and mind had long since given up on. She quickly found herself returning his kiss.

As soon as their lips met, their bodies began moving of their own volition, absent of conscious thought. Remaining joined in their passionate kiss, they moved as one into the room Derek was about to enter. It was the guest bedroom. Derek moved from Amber’s lips to the nape of her neck. She felt a tingle of lust mixed with excitement as he slowly worked his mouth the length of her collarbone to her shoulder. She didn’t even notice that he had deftly unhooked the top of her evening gown and unzipped the back until she felt the material fall from her arms. She pushed slightly away from him, just enough to allow room for gravity to complete the task. She tore her way through the remaining fastened buttons on his shirt, savoring the plush feel of his chest against her breasts each time they pressed together again.

Later, she would not be able to remember exactly when they had gotten onto the bed, but she clearly remembered the moment when he removed his head from between her thighs and ever so gently placed the breadth of his body there. A small alarm went off in her head. Did he manage to get a condom on? The alarm was quickly overridden when he entered her.

Pleasure like none she had ever known pulsed throughout her body. For one giddy moment, she was sure this was undoing all the effort the stylist had gone through to perfectly coif her hair. After a while, he withdrew, but not completely, and they rode the surf of her breathing together. And just about when she thought they were coming back to shore, he thrust in again more urgently, setting off another hurricane.

She lost all sense of time and place until Derek finished and collapsed, completely spent, across her body. She just left him there, knowing she couldn’t move, even if he was not on top of her. She looked sleepily at the clock, and barely noted that the clock flipped to 6:16 a.m. Had they really been at this for the past three hours?

She started drifting off to sleep. Then, she felt a warm glow fill her completely and before she knew it, she was doing something she thought she could only pretend at anymore. She was genuinely smiling.

Chapter 2

Nikki

Nikki…

Who’s there? She was met with silence. Did someone call to her? Did she imagine it?

She lifted herself off the mattress where she had been reading. There weren’t too many places to hide in the one-room apartment she had been calling home for three months. It wasn’t really even an apartment, just an extra room next to the boiler where the landlady had been letting her crash in exchange for some light housework in the public areas of the apartment building.

Nicole de Chambois!

Paying attention now, Nikki recognized the Voice. That grandmotherly sound that whispered directly into her mind, bypassing the ears. Nikki envisioned it as a breeze passing through an orchard using the movement of the leaves to create sounds which formed into words.

Oh, it’s you. I thought I was done hearing from you. You haven’t said so much as boo to me in six months! Nikki talked to the air in front of her. She never really figured out the best way to talk to a voice in her head.

I’ve had to rest. There is something big coming and you are going to have your work cut out for you.

You’ve talked about this big future before but look around. I’m still living in a dump, and no one wants to hire a crazy gypsy who talks to herself, Nikki complained. You haven’t even helped me make a buck or two telling fortunes. To accentuate her point she gave a lackadaisical wave around the room. Her bedroom and living room in one consisted of one corner with a mattress on the floor, a milk-crate nightstand, and two boxes serving as a dresser. The opposite corner was what passed for a kitchen, denoted by the hotplate and mini refrigerator.

All of that is behind you now. No more five dollar predictions for you, missy. You are the central figure of something so big, even you never would have dreamed it.

I don’t know. I dream pretty big.

Yes you do, child. But the Awakening is even bigger.

It was time to go. Two months had passed since Nikki’s mental companion first told her about this mysterious Awakening. She’d saved up every dime she could from her part-time waitressing job, working every extra shift she could snap up. The hourly pay sucked, but she was able to save almost all of her tips.

The bucket of bolts that pretended to be a car was packed. She wasn’t convinced of its ability to travel any great distance, but she really didn’t have any alternatives. She had enough money for a few nights in a cheap hotel, gas, and food, but that small amount wouldn’t cover anything fancy, such as rental cars or airplane tickets.

It wasn’t like she had all that much to pack. Having been on her own since she was fifteen, she had learned to keep her possessions to the bare minimum. Mixing and matching a dozen or so sets of everyday wear could go a long way. She had one business outfit, which she reserved for job interviews. The jacket still had the price tag attached. Her applications never really got to the interview stage.

Okay, everything is in the car. Now, where am I going? Nikki asked out loud sitting behind the steering wheel.

North, came the response.

I could have figured that part out. This is New Orleans, there is nowhere else to go without a boat, Nikki started fuming. I’m not even starting this car until you give me more specifics.

Don't get snippy with me, missy!

Nikki couldn’t recall ever being admonished by the Voice before. She had always perceived it as a kind grandmotherly tone, even though she did not exactly hear it. But even the sweetest of grannies could grump sometimes, she decided.

Start driving toward Shreveport. From there, you can determine the best route. Between now and then, I’ll tell you the whole story or, at least what I know of it. For now, we'll start with a simple introduction. I have been called many things by many cultures, but you are probably most familiar with my Greek name, Gaea.

Nikki hadn't thrown up like that since before the Voice—Gaea—started talking to her.

She’d always been blessed with second sight. She was uncanny in her predictions about everyday things, such as the gender of a pregnant woman's baby, that a bad accident was about happen or who would win the Super Bowl.

In time, she came to recognize this ability as the Voice, a distinctly separate entity living within her. After failing at denying the Voice, she finally accepted it and thought of it as her conscience.

Once she was an adult, and with the help of the Voice, she got enough money together to rent a small apartment, which she turned into a fortune-telling parlor. She initially attracted clients by randomly telling them about some event in of their lives that she couldn't have known about, as they walked past. She quickly accumulated a few regular customers and life was good.

Then, the Voice stopped. That was about eight months ago. Just long ago enough for her to lose every client because without the Voice, the cards looked more like poker hands than fortunes. While a straight flush of spades is good in poker, its Tarot counterpart was a very bad omen, but Nikki didn’t know enough to tell the difference. She relied on the Voice for all of the fortunes and had no real knack for using these supposed tools on her own. She had been living hand-to-mouth, relying on the kindness of others ever since.

Now, the Voice was not only back, but had announced that she was none other than the spirit of Gaea, the Mother Earth goddess herself. And Nikki was to be her oracle, to herald in the end of the world as everyone knew it.

On that thought, she retched again. The weeds on the side of the highway were already splattered with last night’s supper and this morning’s breakfast.

Stop puking, girl! There’s nothing left in your stomach anyway.

That was easy for her to say, she’s just a disembodied voice, thought Nikki. No wonder Gaea had held off telling her. She stood and let the breeze blow through long dark hair, cooling her flushed face back to its normal tanned complexion.

That was some heavy shit you just laid on me. Forgive me if I’m a little out of sorts, Nikki snarled.

Yes, child, I know it is a lot to take in, and your burden is greater than you ever thought. But it is your destiny, and the time is now.

You’ve been with me all of my life. You’ve never lied to me. You tried to help me when the old man split, and even later, when I didn’t want help from anyone, especially you. The way I see it, I have no reason not to believe you, Nikki said, swallowing down another wave of nausea as the implausibility of the situation hit her again.

You are the primary player in this drama, Nikki. Therefore, you need to understand the stakes. I thought I would have more time to prepare you. You are still so young, but even with all of my knowledge, the will of the Fates is not always known to me, Gaea lamented.

"I don’t know