This is a series of excerpts from a story that I conceived six years ago and have been in the process of making it into a reality. The reason I am giving excerpts is to see if people would like the idea that I have in mind. The excerpts are from an actual series of two archaeologists who are well reputed in their profession but have a secret that is never even spoken of or brushed upon.

With that said, I would like your opinions on the subject matter itself and the like. Of course the grammar patrol can help but for the most part I am looking at content. So without further ado I give you the first in a series of excerpts...

Legends of Time: The Book of Ages

Prologue:
Many stories and tall tales have been told concerning the eventual coming of man. All hold some truth but not the whole truth. It is a truth that no mere mortal, or modern demon for that matter, has survived to speak of, save for one. Perhaps it is best to start as with all things, from the beginning.

In the days of auld, it was said that the Ancients were an evil, pure demon race that ruled this world as lords until humanity and the unclean halflings suppressed them and came into their age. It was a time when the Ancients rose in the glory of their dark power with a will to dominate and conquer. Their only enemies resided in the Higher Powers, their aides, the Elders and those few Ancients who swore and oath to defend the innocent, forsaking the nature of their kind. These Ancients thus became the rare champions of our modern world. Together they sought to imprison their dark brethren so as to allow a new age and humanity to flourish. It became a continuous battle that turned to war and from that war, a powerful being was born.

Laharet was one of those Ancients who had forsaken that what was considered the legacy of the Ancients: conquer and dominate. He was different from the other Ancients that became champions in that he possessed the gift of healing and sight, gifts granted only by the Higher Powers yet he was born so. It was because of this that he was chosen to become what would simply be known as the Seer. His powers were combined with that which equaled the power of the Elders and the Higher Powers giving him the extraordinary ability to see far into the future and see the emergence of the champions that would rise up at one point or another to combat evil. With this increased power, Laharet led the newly formed Whitelighters with their human friends and the champions against his darkened brethren and imprisoned them in an eternal sleep. There the Ancients would remain, guarded and frozen in time.

As the Seer, Laharet was to prophesy and in turn they were written into a book that was simply known as the Book of Ages. Its worth was not defined by the prophecies alone but by the sheer fact that it was the only written record of the oldest, most powerful, and some say the most dangerous of the spells developed by the witches and wizards of auld. Throughout time they were diluted into the common and more modern spells. The book itself became one that many, human and immortal alike, have sought often with the hefty price of blood. Since the price was so high, Laharet made a bold move.

In one of the last great battles, presumably the one that ended it all, Laharet dared the unthinkable. Before the battle escalated, he removed the Book of Ages from its resting place within the sacred vault of the Elders and smuggled it down to the mortal realm. Laharet made this maneuver for he had a premonition that the Ancients would breach the vault in search of the book. Once in the mortal realm, it is said that he placed it in the care of a priest, a Keeper of the Living and the Dead. Who this priest was, no one truly knows. Some say that it was a Whitelighter who agreed to live amongst the mortals. Others say that it was a descendant of Laharet himself that started one of the twelve families of Laharet. It was kept a secret from everyone.

This priest swore a blood oath to protect the book until Laharet or his chosen servant, the Keymaster, could come and claim it. Bound by blood, the priest hid the book in a location that was known to him. Through time the Book of Ages then disappeared into lands of the known world.

Eventually the war ended with the imprisonment of the Ancients in their coffin prisons. Laharet himself disappeared after that last battle. Some said he died while others said he fell into an eternal sleep much like the Ancients but only so that a new Seer would surface. However there is no evidence of such a person existing. There was no evidence of the one called the Keymaster either though there are rumors that Laharet predicted they would come.

As for the priest who swore the blood oath, he went into hiding. There were rumors that he surfaced as a priest within a court of one of the desert kings but like all things, that became lost among a web of tales. As for the Book of Ages, it remained hidden and unclaimed; safe in the place the priest had hidden it. Eventually t was thought to be lost and stories began to form and circulate about a book written in the time before time. Before long fact became myth, myth became legend and the Book of Ages passed out of all existence. There in legend, it remained out of reach until it could be claimed by the Seer or the Keymaster…

Sounds like a fantastic story. You put so much into a detailed...what's the word I'm looking for...introduction. When the time comes and you're ready to release your novel, I will purchase it. Very interesting. :)

OK, engaging the critic mode :). The story overall seems intriguing and I am interested in reading a bit more. This is obviously supposed to be a fantasy book and not SF, which is a plus from me, considering we're in an SF loving forum and considering I personally like fantasy books just as much as SF. A minus in the story would be the influence of the TV series Charmed that's seen in your using of the term ''Whitelighter'' (By all means correct me if I am mistaken, but that's the only other place I know that uses that term.). Why a minus? Well, because I don't consider Charmed to be a show with a good story (I consider it a Power Rangers for adults) and I don't think the terminology used there is very mystic and cool, so the ''whitelighter'' term simply doesn't fit in this story, in my opinion. The style of the prologue slightly reminds me of those of R.A. Salvatore in the Icewind Dale books (which I'm currently reading), which is sort of a plus, but I think you should add a bit more of that unique description style you used in your fics, because I don't think you're the kind of person that wants to copy someone else's style.
Now, as for the grammar (:D), I noticed only one tiny typo in the first sentence. It's pretty easy to find, at the very beginning, so you shouldn't have any troube fixing it when you decide to edit.

Thanks for that hint about the Whitelighters igyman. I am thinking of changing it but I need a name that somewhat represents this group. In actuality they are those Ancients who are like Laharet, forsook their demon powers and channeled them to good. It was my intention to leave the prologue slightly vague to convey that this story has been passed on through so many years that hardly anyone remembers the actual story. If you have a possible suggestion for the name of the Whitelighters, then I would like to hear it.

If the typo you are referring to is auld I am sorry to say that is the correct word. it is another term for old. I have the habit of using the old English spellings meaning that I spell gray as grey and theater as theatre. It is the correct spelling. :D

Nope, the typo I was referring to was ''tall tales''. Shouldn't it be ''tell tales''?
As for the name, I'll think about it and when I have something good, I'll post it here. :)
Of the tip of my tongue, I'd suggest... Seraphim? Like I said, I'll give it a thought.

Tall tale is correct. It is often used to refer to stories that often are improbable like the stories of Pecos Bill. Thanks for the name. I'll have some time to think about it tomorrow.

Here is another excerpt later on in the story I am writing. I am introducing some characters and personalities. Mostly I am introducing the one who hates my heroine's guts.

Again opinions are welcome.

Chapter 3
It was an awkward day for starters but not a problem as Rachel and Raymie drove to the university. Rachel had one class today and a meeting, which she explained to Raymie, but Raymie decided to go to the library. Like his sister, he had a love for books and was always seen with at least one book in his possession. He was chatting about the book he really wanted to read in the car when Rachel pulled into the parking lot where she normally parked. After stopping the car, she reached into the side pocket in her door and pulled out a book that had a weather beaten cover and an antique cover. She opened it towards a section that covered astrology and showed it to Raymie saying, “The month of Gemini.”

“Your month. Neat!” Raymie replied and took the book. He then added, “It’s in Latin,” with a mock look of frustration.

“I know. I thought you might like that since Father thinks you should know another language besides Spanish.”

“Like the Arabic you’ve been teaching me?” Raymie asked getting out of the car. “Mom doesn’t like it when she catches me practicing.”

Rachel looked thoughtful when she replied, “Well your mom had some bad experiences with people who speak Arabic. Naturally she doesn’t like it.”

“Is that why she doesn’t talk to you when you come over?” Raymie asked.

It was an innocent question but it stung like a barb. Rachel tried to not let it show when she said, “Your mom and I don’t get along because we see things differently. Still since Father loves her and is happy then I am happy.”

“You are always sad though when you come except with me. Do you wish that you had someone like how Dad has Mom?”

Rachel couldn’t hide the blush from her face so she hid it by saying, “So many questions today. I thought you got that out of your system last night. Now are you coming to lecture or are you going to bury yourself in the library today until I am done?”

“Library. Fourth floor,” Raymie replied automatically.

“Alright then and I’ll come a fetch you and then we can go to the reservation.”

“Thanks sis. See ya later,” and Raymie took off towards the library but not before commenting that her necklace was pretty, referring to the medallion.

Rachel smiled as she watched him go before going up the stairs to her office to grab a thick bound book that had clasps to keep it shut. Along the way to the classroom, she got a call on her cell phone. She answered it and the voice on the end caused her to break into a smile and say, “I knew you were the one who sent me the box.”

****

Brendan was in the study room that he had his meeting with his children and was staring at a painting on an old piece of papyrus parchment. He had sent the box to her with a joking note but his daughter insisted that he give her a better clue as to what she was getting into. He decided to wait until he was sure that she got the box. He had spent the last week staring at the same bit of parchment and he was nowhere closer to figuring out what to say to her.

It was an ordinary thing of antiquity with ancient writing scribbled on it. An archaeologist or linguist could spend a career trying to decipher it, if they knew what it meant. By chance of fate or destiny, or whatever the elders called it, he knew what it said and it spelled it out for him. For over two hundred years he kept one rule: the future is never written. Of course prophecy is different, at least to those who put much stock into them.

When he learned that he was the long awaited Seer, he had been told by the Elders that he may see things but nothing in life is certain. What he saw was only one of possible futures. They admitted that his ancestor Laharet never put much stock into what he saw unless he was completely sure. They also said that what is written what will happen since he was sure enough to write them, especially the future generations of champions.

There he was staring at the parchment written by Laharet. It said it there in his own hand that the daughter of the twins would face a great trial with a scourge from only which one would live. He had little doubt that Magnus was the scourge referred to and his chosen champion was a Gemini twin, the dual nature. The death he couldn’t take literally since there were always different meanings for death but you can never tell. Besides he liked her very much, much more than any of the other champions he came across. He decided that he would only tell about the medallion if she asked and ask if she would be willing to go. He picked up the phone sitting on his desk and dialed a number. He waited until he got her voice before saying, “You look much prettier with my present.”

****

Rachel smiled as she stopped in the hall, listening to the conversation. She then said, “So you want me to go in, assess the situation and call in the troops should I run into trouble getting it?”

The reply made her chuckle. She then said, “And I am sure that you have one of those parchments that tell you that something bad will happen if I do this. Weren’t you the one who said that the future isn’t written and that it can be changed?”

Rachel listened to the reply with a serious expression. She knew that even though Brendan took an impersonal stance with everyone, he had a soft spot for people. She saw that when he stood against what he fought in the nighttime. She was listening intently until one of her students tapped her and asked if she was coming in. She nodded and held up a finger, indicating that she would be there in a moment and continued to listen. When the voice on the other end was finished she said, “Alright then. I’ll do what I can but I have Raymie with me for two weeks and I’m not sure if it’s alright to bring him. I do know that Reuven will help out,” she paused to hear the reply before finishing, “OK then. I’ll let you know what I find out. Thank you for the gift by the way.” She then hung up and went into the lecture hall.

****

Brendan hung up the phone feeling no less concerned than what he was before he called. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the parchment and began to think. There was a lot at stake here.

For the last three years, he searched for clues of the Book and so did she. Most of the clues came in the form of ancient texts that were difficult to read due to translation issues and dead languages. Thank the gods that Rachel had a talent for languages. He lost track of how many she was fluent in but it never ceased to amaze him when she read one of those dead languages.

He remembered when he first approached her at one of those conferences for archaeologists. He even remembered the reason why too: she had proposed that some of the artifacts were far older than what had been purported. Little did she know then how right she was. Of course he had set the record straight when he finally got a chance to speak to her alone. It was also then he discovered her unique talents. When he gave her the reasoning behind her talents, he had expected skepticism and even disbelief but with her, it was different. She accepted his teaching her how to control it.

Over the last two years, he came to meet her and give her information about the Book. Oh she knew the risks but he suspected that it was her love of knowledge that drove her to find it. During those times he also gave her extra lessons on control of her talents and to see how she was getting along. It was during those times that he met her close friend Reuven Levy and her ‘uncle’ Litrik van Meerum. He eventually got to meet Raymie but he always suspected that she didn’t want Raymie to be exposed to his world, especially after he revealed who he was.

He was thinking of this when the door to the study opened and his daughter walked in. He didn’t see her and therefore didn’t acknowledge her. Lui Xin recognized that look her father had when he was deep in thought. Glancing at the desk, she saw the parchment and guessed what he was worried about. She also guessed that he had called the girl. Judging by the way he thoughtfully stroked his chin. She smiled at him and said, “Judging by the way you are thinking, I am guessing that she took that rather well.”

Brendan looked at his daughter after being jerked out of his thinking. He had heard the question and replied, “I didn’t tell her everything Lui Xin.”

“Why?”

“It may not seem like it but there are unspoken rules concerning revealing what’s in prophecy and the future,” Brendan answered getting up from his seat. He looked at his daughter with a look that was meant to act as one that said to keep quiet.

“I didn’t mean for you to quote chapter and verse to her Father,” Lui Xin replied. She rarely challenged her father but when she did, it was for good reason. “I know as well as Braeden the rules that you have insisted upon since we were children. I meant at least enough to know that there is some danger involved, especially if Magnus is involved.”

Brendan’s expression softened, “I know. Just the urgency made me wonder what to say,” and he smiled.

“OK,” Lui Xin smiled back and headed towards the door. She paused to add, “She’ll be fine. You said so yourself that she has the spirit,” then left the study.

Brendan watched the door close. He didn’t have to turn when he heard a low voice, “So touching and yet it amazes me how you can stand up and betray our kind.”

Giving a controlled sigh, Brendan replied, “By betrayal you mean forsaking the desire to conquer and unleash evil then you may have it right.”

“You have such faith in the weakness of humanity. Makes me wonder why you were chosen,” Magnus replied with a smile that betrayed his nature.

“We all have our choices…”

“Don’t start. I just came by to say that you will not succeed. I will have the Book of Ages and neither you nor your precious Keymaster can do anything about it!” As quick as he arrived, Magnus disappeared, leaving Brendan to stare at where he had been.

****

It was one of those days that makes the others seem like a cakewalk. For some reason or other, Rachel had a feeling of unease like something was going to happen. She went into her lecture in her usual joking manner, asking her students if they were ready for the day’s torture. As usual, it was greeted with laughter. It was her class on magic and religion, a class that she took on eagerly.

They had last left off with her discussing the idea of reincarnation and she picked it up again. Over the last three years, this class gained quite a bit of popularity, much to the chagrin of some of the other professors. She did gain a bitter enemy with a foreign archaeologist and the ridiculous part was that it was over a spilt cup of coffee and a glib comment on Catholicism.

Isabel Poincarй was a French archaeologist who came to the presentation of ancient centers of worship. When Rachel met her, she immediately felt a dislike, mainly because she found Isabel to be pettish and rather spoiled. Her grey eyes and upturned nose spoke volumes of old aristocracy and money. Still Rachel had made the effort to be nice with her and hoped to show good manners by speaking in French.

Isabel’s response was one of a tolerant acceptation. She exhibited perfect manners in response though Rachel had been wary of the attitude. Rachel was all too well aware of the slight exhibitions of superiority displayed by the European members of her profession. It was heightened by the disdain her stepmother and other people who knew the truth of her heritage had for her.

The conversation was polite enough. They discussed most of what Rachel had presented in her paper and seemed to get along well. It was only when she was nearly assaulted by another colleague who hadn’t seen her in years that she knocked over her coffee onto Isabel. Politeness dictated that she give assistance which she offered. It wasn’t until they were in the ladies room that she made a comment that touched a nerve with Isabel. It resulted in a few slaps and sharp words. Needless to say that they parted on bad terms with Isabel saying that they next time they crossed paths, it would be Rachel’s worse nightmare.

It was the discussion on the Hindu belief of reincarnation that reminded Rachel of that time. She remembered the angry exchange of words and the threat that had hung in the air between them. Since then, it was jokingly called a competition between them amongst their colleagues with Rachel receiving more honors. She attributed it to the fact that she wrote things that produced controversy and it seemed that controversy was the fashion this season. Still Isabel held it against her and it seemed to further fuel a growing hatred of Rachel that showed when she presented papers that blatantly contradicted what Rachel said, often with snide remarks hidden in them.

Rachel, for her part, took it in a stride. She knew that jealousies existed but she thought this ridiculous. She continued her work at the university with little fuss. Reuven and Uncle Litrik helped in that they gave her the company that she shrank from with their other colleagues. Then Brendan came along and opened the door to something that was so big that she would defy convention to keep it a secret. It was something that made archaeology all the worthwhile, as big as finding the Ark of the Covenant.

Somehow through the jumble of thoughts, Rachel kept her mind on the lesson until the hour was up. She gave her announcements for next session and dismissed the class. She watched as her students filed out, noticing Uncle Litrik waiting by the door. When the last of the students filed out, he approached her and greeted her in the usual manner, “I see that class went well.”

“Always does Uncle Litrik,” she replied sensing that something was up but didn’t ask.

“I know that you had plans,” Litrik said as he led the way out, “but there are some men waiting to see you. They say they are from the FBI.”

“The FBI? Why would they want to see me?” Rachel asked as she shifted her volume under her arm.

“They wouldn’t say except that it was of vital importance,” Litrik asked, confusion evident on his elderly face. “They did stress that it was a matter of security or something.”

A jump to the present... Unexpected, but not necessarily bad. The story does sound intriguing. I also like every character name, except one - Brendan. I don't know, but since he's supposed to be the next Seer and I assume he's the protagonist of the story I'd expect him to have a name with some hidden meaning. I do admit that I don't know much about meanings of English/American names, but if I'm right, I at least hope that he has an interesting last name to make up for it.
I don't know what you've decided on the Whitelighter name, but I have a new suggestion - Nephilim. Here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephilim)'s) the info on the word.
Also, here's a couple of links that might be helpful, in case you haven't checked them out already.
Classification of demons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaelis%27_classification_of_demons)
Fallen angels by ranks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallen_angels#Fallen_angels_by_rank)

I got you on that one igyman about Brendan's name. There really is no hidden meaning and that is the whole point. He spent his entire life appearing normal and he disen't believe in hidden meanings of words and the like. To tell the truth, his original name when he was born was Arkady. I took this name out of a Dracula type series. Their family name was Dracul but I didn't use that. Too obvious. I was thinking that when Magnus appears on one of his many trips to 'visit' his cousin, he would use his given name rather than the one he chose to remain hidden. Brendan is just an ordinary name which is how he appears to the mortal world. He may be unusually pale at times but for all intents and purposes, he is a normal human. He is more of the silent observer while the action takes place with the Keymaster.

As to the Whitelighter bit from the beginning, I decided on the name Centurion since it sounds more militant which was the purpose since they are the Ancients who sided with the light rather than darkness. I changed it in my master copy on my disk. I've been trying to make the Ancients, while menacing, are unknown. After all this is a time before time when the last battle for the mortals took place so who is telling the truth or not? I hope that clarifies a few things.

I finished another chapter and I have another excerpt for you all. This introduces the heroine's companion who has done nothing yet everything as far as she is concerned. It also gives more into the assertiveness of Rachel Romero and we get a cameo appearance by the main character of the second book of the Legends of Time series. Without further ado I give you...

Chapter 6
The sun beat merciless upon the hapless workers as they dug where they were told. They had been at it for nearly a week and in that time, they uncovered a city that no one knew had existed. The strangest thing was that the city appeared as it would have in the days of the pharaohs. It was a strange thing indeed. Many of the diggers said that it must be a sacred city of Allah that he kept hidden until now.

One of the diggers knew better. At least he thought he did. He had worked many times with the woman who had the light about her. He had met her when she first came to this part of the world conducting field research. She behaved like a proper Muslim woman by giving proper respect when they met, mainly because he knew how to get things done. They became friends with his helping her get things difficult to get and in return, she always paid for his services, very handsomely.

It wasn’t for the money that he remained friends with her. She had respect for the people. Unlike the spoiled brat that was in charge of this dig, she talked to the people as equals. They had built up a trust of unspoken words. It was because she trusted him that she let him in on this project that she had been working on for the past two years. He had been in contact with the Jew that was her friend and feeding the information. Lately however, that was impossible. The Jew had sent word not to send anything more but didn’t elaborate why. Frankly he didn’t have time to wonder why for shortly after the last communiquй, the brat arrived with a group of the fundamentalists and began not really hiring but forcing every available digger to work for them. True that they were paid but it was only in pennies.

Right now he was trying to figure out how he could send her a message without it being too suspicious. He had a feeling that she would go after the Jew. There were rumors that the brat was going to go after him and a lot of talk about a key that was needed. He didn’t have much time to think about it since one of the guards began shouting at him to dig faster.

****

Isabel Poincarй stared at the excavation site, surveying the diggers, the guards and the uncovered ruins. Well they couldn’t be called ruins seeing as the city looked as it did when it was supposedly first built. She wondered if the stories were true, that there was only one defense between the entrance to the Well of Time and the Book of Ages. Truly it would be the best find, a hallmark in her career, one that would surely leave that Rachel Romero behind in the academic world. Unfortunately she was too conceited to realize that Rachel’s popularity was because of her skill within the field.

They had been at odds for the last two years, or so Isabel thought. She didn’t realize that Rachel didn’t consider her a threat at all and just plowed along in her work while she spent her time refuting what Rachel put out. In the end, she didn’t see the hole that she had dug herself into and how deep it had become. She was bent so much on gaining revenge that it turned her into a conniving woman who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. It was this kind of woman that her benefactor wanted when he approached her and asked for her services.

With sharp and cold grey eyes, she scanned the sight holding in the glee that she may have found something that would ruin her bitter enemy. They had found the city through the help of her benefactor’s research and knowledge that could have only come through years of study. She didn’t know that his knowledge was the first hand variety, passed through generations to the members of his family since it was only a matter of time before the heir of Laharet would be chosen.

According to legend, the city was built by the descendant of Laharet after having spent twenty or so years hiding the book within the Egyptian court. He commissioned the city to be built and it was done so be scores of volunteers, people who followed him willingly without question. They built the city along with the Well of Time with the sweat of their brow until came the time when Laharet’s descendant placed the book in its resting place. The people who have built the city remained, caring for the city until it disappeared one year underneath the sand dunes never to be seen or heard from again. Since then, many men have wasted their lives in the pursuit of this city. No one ever found it and most who went into the desert never returned.

But we found it. We found the city and soon we will find the Book of Ages, Isabel thought to herself as she watched the diggers. She knew they didn’t like her and one in particular but she had her men keep them at work.

She was smiling her smile of victory when a low voice in her ear said, “A little early to think of victory is it not?”

She turned to face the one who requested her services. Dark skin made even darker by the desert sun and his coal black eyes glittered like gems. Tall, broad shouldered and dark hair, he looked very imposing and as if he would look better in the mountains of Romania. She gazed thoughtfully at him before answering, “What do you have to fear milord? The Keymaster will be drawn here and with him the key.”

“The Keymaster is not a he but a she. I paid a visit to my dear cousin and discovered that she will be coming,” Magnus replied with a smile on his face.

“It doesn’t matter. Levy has the key. Sukhir and his men have gone to where he was last seen and are tracking him down as we speak,” Isabel smiled in return and turned to walk towards the tent that held everything for the operations.

Magnus followed her, knowing that it was best to keep up the pretense of being a simple meeting between the employer and the employee though out of sight, it was totally different. Once inside, he grabbed Isabel and kissed her hard in the rough manner that she loved. He was crazy about this woman every since he witnessed her being cruel to one of the diggers on the site she was working on when he met her. When he was finished, he held her by the arms and looked at her and asked, “How long ago did you send Sukhir?”

Feeling satisfied at the kiss, Isabel was confident to answer, “Four days ago. Even if the Keymaster were to leave today, they would have a head start.”

“Still it is best not to take chances. It would be wise to have someone follow her. That way they can contact Sukhir and they can give a nice little welcoming party.” Magnus had released her and was standing very close to her. He looked at her intently with the gaze that most people were afraid of. He was pleased when it didn’t unfaze her. He asked, “You know something else?”

Pleased that she had his attention, Isabel replied, “They uncovered the temple today. The markings can tell us where to look for the Well of Time.”

“That is good news.”

“You aren’t worried about the purported defenses?”

“Nope. The Keymaster will get it for us and we will take it from her. If anything, she has no clue about my world,” Magnus was smiling. He wanted to see Isabel’s reaction when he told her who the Keymaster was.

He was to get his chance when Isabel responded, “That would be perfect. By the way, if someone will be following the Keymaster, what does she look like?”

“Oh just someone you know,” Magnus replied teasing her.

“If it were anyone but Rachel Romero, they would get off easy,” Isabel replied, getting into a temper.

Pleased with the reaction, Magnus smiled before saying with a straight face, “You’ll have a chance.”

“The Keymaster is Rachel?” asked Isabel. When the smile on Magnus’ face confirmed it, she smiled big but her eyes betrayed the burning hatred. She then said, “That is the best news I have heard all day.”

Magnus held Isabel close. Pleased with how things were going, he could almost taste the power that the Book of Ages would give him. He would topple the head of the family and become the new head of the family. He thought to himself, This certainly has been a good day.

****

The day was grey much like Rachel’s mood as she entered the international terminal accompanied by Uncle Litrik. She had one bag that she slung over her shoulder and was dressed in the cargos, top and shirt that she always wore when going on a trip to a place in the tropics. Her favorite hat was stowed in the bag she carried along with a few other necessaries. Her temper was rather mild in spite of the inconvenience of having to be met by a lackey of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. This was reflected when she was walking towards the gate asking uncle Litrik, “Do you really think this agent they sent to baby-sit me is going to show?”

Knowing that she needed to vent, Litrik allowed, “Possibly. Since this a federal agent going with you, you might want to give him the benefit of a doubt.”

“Personally I think it rather unnecessary. I can take care of myself quite well. He’ll probably be a straight laced, bossy and overbearing jerk who will insist upon following the rulebook,” Rachel replied venting.

She didn’t notice the man behind her until he asked, “Is that anyone I know?”

More out of reaction, Rachel whirled around about to get into a fighting stance. She was startled by handsome face that belonged to the stranger. For a second, she took in the dark brown hair and eyes and the tall athletic body. For once she was speechless and ended up saying, “Oh. Hello.”

Not missing a thing, Litrik took up the reins by saying, “Depends young man. Who might you be?” In the Dutch custom he held out his hand to be given a handshake. He gave a smile that spoke of polite friendliness.

The stranger returned the handshake only to have his arm nearly wrenched from the socket by the older man. He smiled at the two and said, “Trent Matthews. I’m the agent assigned to you Dr. Romero.”

Having found her voice, Rachel answered back. She didn’t bother with hiding her voice behind a mask of politeness, “Really? Look here. Your boss seems to think that I need a babysitter. If you think that you can order me about like one of your subordinates, I am warning you…”

Taking the risk of getting her even angrier, though he had to admit that she was rather attractive when aroused, he answered back, “You’re warning me? Miss, if I’m not mistaken you are under agreement with the FBI. It is my understanding that you agreed to certain conditions.”

“One being not listening to you,” Rachel interrupted much to the humor of Litrik.

“You will listen seeing as I have more experience than you,” came the reply as Trent Matthews unwittingly played into Rachel’s game.

“Highly unlikely but if you are anything like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, you would know my full resume though I am sure there are things you’d rather not bring to light in our current situation.” They had arrived at the detectors and knowing the current situation regarding airport security, Rachel refrained from argument. Before heading through, she gave Uncle Litrik a kiss and said, “You and Raymie have a good time.”

Litrik watched as the agent and Rachel walked through the detectors and head towards the gate. He felt a stab of pity for the agent but he sensed that the young man was more than a match for his goddaughter’s temper and tongue. Still he couldn’t help but say aloud to himself, “I hope they don’t kill each other.”

His concern was rather a waste of thought as at the moment Rachel was spoiling to continue the conversation once they were past the last checkpoints. She said loud enough for Trent to hear, “I don’t like you and I didn’t want you around in the first place.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Trent muttered back.

Her reaction he didn’t expect for she laughed at him. She then said in good humor, “You aren’t bad Matthews.” She led the way to a gate that didn’t match on the ticket that she had.

The person at the desk was only too glad to help her. She greeted Rachel with the familiarity of an old friend, “Welcome back Dr. Romero. Anything I can help you with?”

Rachel turned and snatched the ticket from Matthews’ hand, much to his surprise and gave it to the teller. Smiling she asked, “Can we exchange these? The wrong destination was put on by accident. Can you fix it?”

The attendant smiled in reply and said, “Certainly. A particular destination in mind?”

“I can’t remember exactly but Reuven went there. Some place in Europe.” Rachel gave a shrug as if it were a silly mistake knowing full well the attendant knew what she meant.

Agent Matthews meanwhile was watching the entire scene with a mixture of surprise, anger and amusement. He had no idea that Rachel would snatch his ticket and play coy with the attendant. He had to admit that he was impressed by the way she handled the situation. It really shouldn’t have surprised him that the attendant knew Rachel but it did. He did have to admit that she was rather endearing and was rather surprised that he thought that. He directed his attention to the attendant when she said, “Oh yes. That’ll be two to Rome. Gate 24.”

Getting close, Agent Matthews whispered furiously, “Rome? We are supposed to be heading to London.”

“London is a cesspool,” Rachel smiled through her teeth, equally terse, “Rome is where a friend is.” She accepted the tickets with grace that totally contradicted her temper. She politely said, “Thank you,” and turned and grabbed Agent Matthews by the sleeve and pulled him towards the gate much to the amusement of the attendant.

Disliking being dragged away from the desk like that, Agent Matthews shook himself loose and asked, “Do we have another problem now?”

“The only problem we have is you and you being here.”

“Look I didn’t ask for this either,” Agent Matthews paused and smiled at some passersby who glanced at them. Turning his attention back to Rachel he continued, “I know you don’t like me and I know you don’t like it when someone invades your territory.”

“Funny way of putting it but true,” Rachel interrupted.

“Can you at least work with me?” Agent Matthews pleaded with her. “I am asking you to at least tell me what is going on.”

Rachel scrutinized the federal agent standing before her. He did seem sincere and he didn’t try to boss her into doing what his superiors wanted. She decided that it was safe to tell him that they needed to find her friend Reuven and was about to say so when a voice called, “Rachel!”

Rachel turned to see a woman with golden brown hair and green eyes coming towards her and waving. Recognizing her, she called out, “Portia! Back already?”

The woman Portia waited until she was close to reply, “Easy assessment. The artifact is in Customs and I’m heading there now.” She turned to look at the federal agent with a glance before turning to Rachel and asking, “Who’s the tree trunk?”

Agent Matthews wanted to retort at the question but was stopped by Rachel replying, “Company. We’re going to see Levy.”

Nodding in understanding, Portia answered, “The east is hot right now, especially the desert. Malek confirmed it.”

“Thanks. See you in a few weeks. The heritage project,” Rachel replied and waved good-bye, heading towards her gate. She said nothing at first but she guessed that Agent Matthews was going to ask anyway so she said, “Update on where we have to go after we find Levy.”

Realizing that was all he was going to get, Agent Matthews replied, “Fine.” He said nothing more until they arrived at their gate, one that was far away from everyone else. He then asked, “Why here?”

“I have my connections,” Rachel glanced at him and smiled. She handed their boarding passes to the attendant who greeted her much like the attendant at the desk did. She led the way to their seats and promptly sat next to the window and glanced out. Once Agent Matthews was seated, she explained quietly, “I have a standing arrangement through the university with the airport and this gate. Easier than sitting next to people you can’t stand.”

“I see. What’ll we do once we get to Rome?” Agent Matthews queried.

“We look up Levy. We haven’t seen each other in a year so I suspect he’ll have something to dish up.” She then smiled at the agent and said, “Just relax. We have a long flight.” She then settled back in her seat and tipped her hat forward to go to sleep.

Agent Matthews just watched her until he decided to pull out a magazine from the pouch in front and read. He didn’t notice the man that was watching the pair of their from behind a newspaper.

Another interesting excerpt. I have nothing to complain about, only to praise. The characters that appeared here were excellent, starting with their names, their personalities and their roles in the story - they seem to fit in perfectly. I wouldn't mind knowing a little more about Magnus and Isabel and also Rachel, whose animosity towards the FBI agent will, I presume, eventually turn into the completely opposite thing. ;)

I actually have some scenes in different chapters regarding Isabel and Magnus. My favorite chapters regard a chase scene through none other than the streets of Rome. I actually felt that it could have been done better. I had a chase planned for later but I decided to have multiple chases since the item in question is worth killing for. In one of my later chapters, it reveals a bit more about Magnus. I personally like this guy because he thinks everyoe is out to get him except the woman that he is attracted to. Even then though he has trust issues.

I came.I read. I loved it.Would definately buy it.