Page 1
ALACTEON LEGION
TWIN CITY, 1945
“The war is getting out of hand,” said a man in a thick British accent. Any lowly commoner from England would call him a stiff upper lipper, and he was. With direct ties to the Crown, the man, Sir William Leonhart, held significant power in the British Empire.
“I agree.” The other man’s eyes were trained on the rough, violent waters that encircled his city. “I created my weapons to protect the innocent, but now they’re being used against them. Their blood now taints my name.” Thomas Stormhold was considered a true genius by the world. He revolutionized the weapons industry, and now men no longer fought with sticks and stones. Instead, they used his creations to further the destruction.
It was a cold winter night as both men stood on the high dock overlooking the Twin City shipyard.
“This time I fear it won’t end if we don’t interfere,” William professed the truth in a serious tone. “This isn’t like the last time. There’s more unrest, more bloodshed. But there might still be hope. The Germans and Japanese are divided, and not all of them want the war to continue. They have agreed to overthrow their leaders with the right support. Even the Russians don’t want any more fighting.”
“I will trust your word if that’s the case,” Thomas said. “I’ll call in the founding families for a council.” The Stormholds were among the founding families, a group of powerful bloodlines that concorded during the Civil War to end the conflict. They still operated in secret and held a ruling thumb over the governing force.
“That will be the best approach,” William replied. “Let’s intervene in a fortnight.”
Both men nodded before they parted ways, becoming shadows in the night.
WEEKS LATER
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
Six hands raised their glasses in unison.
“The Seawatchers.”
“The Allseers.”
“The Northerners.”
“The Brotherhood.”
“The Crownlanders.”
“The Oda clan.”
Together they announced, “Hail Alacteon.”
Thus, the first Alacteon council commenced. The most powerful families in the world intervened to stop the war and maintain peace. In return, they divided among themselves their own territories to rule and safeguard the secrets of the world.
In simple terms, this world was now their chessboard, and they got to decide how the game was played.
PROLOGUE
BELLE
July 5, 2012
Thirteen years ago
I didn’t know how long it had been since my entire world fell apart. My world destroyed by the men who held me as their prisoner on the floor of their dirty truck, my thin nightdress doing nothing to save my knees from scraping back and forth on the hard carpet. But somehow, the ache in them was nothing compared to the one in my chest.
“What the fuck do we do with her?” The man with the squid tattoo eyed me as if he hadn’t spent last night ruining my life. “Can we have our fun with her?”
I showed no reaction, as I stared straight ahead at the dry highways we passed, the tires of the truck scrunching over the rough gravel road. I didn’t have it in me to feel anything.
Because what was the worst that could happen after last night?
Every inch of me was too broken. I felt like a dead girl living. Like my heart was pumping ice-cold blood. Even the breath I took felt like I was inhaling air laden with prickly thorns that poked my insides over and over again. Gone. They were all gone.
