Title: Call of the Cambion
Author: Andrew P. Weston
Genre: Paranormal Horror
Book Blurb:
Cursed to live his life as a Cambion – a half-demon, half-human hybrid – Augustus Thorne has spent centuries hunting the creature responsible for his existence. His own spawn-father, Fanon. Along the way, Augustus has built something of a reputation as a demon slayer. However, his reputation proves to be a two-edged sword, for while it keeps him safe, it prevents Augustus from forming a relationship. Something he yearns for with all his heart. Neither does it protect him from the wrath of the demondim, who view his activities as a threat.
In an effort to overcome these obstacles, Augustus finds it necessary to confront the darker aspects of his Cambion nature. Something, it seems, he must embrace fully. Only then will he be free to make his own choices, and in a position to end his father once and for all.
Alas, such a path results in dire consequences.
Excerpt: For my kind, the most important heavenly body to cross the night sky is Venus. Alternatively called, the evening or morning star, she heralds those hours governing the most active of the demondim’s nocturnal dealings.
In more ancient times, Venus was also known as Lucifer, (translated: Shining one, or, Light-Bringing), first of the angels to rebel. The geophysical coordinates on the horizon where Lucifer rose and set often served as a reference marker for those seeking entrance to important sites of occult relevance.
The access points to those locations constantly changed, intersecting as they did with the movement of the earth through the celestial meridian. That journey also affected the energy field of the planet, creating subtle differences, especially where it overlapped and harmonized with the higher and lower realms. The successful discovery of an archway to those protected sites could only be achieved by aligning oneself with Lucifer and then blending with the specific astral signature running along a corresponding ley line, an acroamatic azimuth as it were, particular to that day. Once uncovered, the portal’s inbuilt parameters would provide clues as to what else would be required to unlock its secrets, thus granting entrance into a specialized pocket of the esoteric realm.
That’s what I was hoping to achieve now as Lucifer began to set.
Facing directly into the pre-dawn sky, I opened my sensibilities wide and reached out.
When it came, the response surprised me, for melodies in abundant variety tumbled out of the ether; soaring and vast, yet resonant and deep; a swelling rhapsody applauding the opus of life in all its forms.
Altering my acuity, I began searching for the choral fulcrum that would provide the transitional crux between worlds. A subtle harmonic swiftly distinguished itself from all the others, vibrating at a distinctive, almost personal pitch that blended as much with my nature as it did to the living essence of the universe all around me.
Gotcha!
Absorbing that signature, I peered down through the aperture to the floor below and skirred. I noticed the frequencies coursing through the Tau-rus never changed, for it existed at the crossover between dimensions. The world as I knew it, however, began to spin and the composition of the Pantheon itself started to fade and turn translucent.
The main colonnade flexed and then dissolved, revealing the three-dimensional image of a gigantic warrior armed with a falchion-style cleaver raised above his head. A gateway edged in clinquant voussoirs manifested between the span of the colossus’ legs, which were braced astride the exact center of the rotunda.
Retaining the key to the nexus foremost in my mind, I glided to the floor, anxious not to miss this window of opportunity. Carefully, I crept toward the freshly revealed portico towering over fifty feet into the air above me. As I approached, arcane symbols aligned around its border began to glow. Reaching the sill, I was about to step into the abyss beyond, when I remembered the phrase; hidden in plain sight.
I relaxed my eyes and discerned two huge runes emblazoned within the flagstones at the sentinel’s feet in my peripheral vision. Every time I tried to look directly at them, they disappeared. Ah, in reality they’re quite elusive? Fair enough, I can still make them out.
Moving deliberately, I repeated the process and the ancient Greek sigils for “T” and “P” appeared one after the other, over and over. Ah, I see. The designers have mixed cultures, so only the long-lived will appreciate the subtleties of the code.
The way forward was obvious. I had to enter the specific frequency of Lucifer mentally; the diabolical harmonic of the archway esoterically; and at the same time, utter the specific tones of the characters on the floor verbally.
Wasting no time, I concentrated the cipher signature for this day into a coherent thought beam and projected it into the gap, whilst simultaneously placing my hands upon the invisible threshold and unleashing a powerful mystic surge unique to my own hybridized genetic heritage. As it radiated away from me, I raised my voice and said, “Taff! Rho!” making sure to enunciate each word clearly.
A tremendous surge of golden and purple grandeur rippled down from the top of the arch. As it reached the glyphs, the curtain simply dropped to the floor, revealing an impressive staircase behind it that curled into the blackness below.
Without further ado, I stepped across from one reality into the next.
Undiluted dominion assailed my every perception. So rich and so concentrated was its tincture that I gagged and reeled under an onslaught that intoxicated me to my core. It was magnificent, vitalizing every atom of my being, filling me with so much potential I felt close to exploding in ecstasy.
Giddy with power, I descended the stairway, each step creating flashes of iridescent warmth that sprayed musical notes of variant tones into the ether. Heralded by that serenade, I continued my advance until I rounded a corner and found myself before an apparent dead-end, formed from effervescent seamless rock.
Analyzing the obstacle, I spotted a shallow depression in the cliff face at head height. The moment I laid eyes on it, instinct took over. Stepping forward, I placed the flat of my hand into the groove and uttered a demonic incantation. “Ah-nix meh sed tónn (Open to me now).”
Although I hadn’t discerned any crease or joint, the entire escarpment slid silently backward, a distance of about ten feet. A grating sound—deep and resonant, like granite scraping on granite—grumbled about me, causing the ground to vibrate and dust to fall from unseen crevices far above. The seamless wall split into two halves, withdrawing into the ridgeline on either side, leaving no trace of its existence. Behind it lie another barrier, this one metallic in appearance, which also retracted a similar distance before scrolling up into the ceiling and down into the floor.
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If you could dress up as anything or anyone this Halloween, what or who would it be and why?
Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas, because he embodies the endless wonder of making the best of ‘good old scary fun.’ His philosophy is to throw yourself into whatever holiday you’re celebrating, heart and soul. And really, what better occasion to do that on, than Halloween?
Explain why your featured book is a treat to read:
Because it explores the wonder of the dark, the twisted and macabre, and gives you a hint of what lies beyond the veil. And that hint will never leave you. . .
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon (US or Canada) gift card.
Open internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to be eligible.
Runs October 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on November 1.
Author Biography: Andrew P. Weston is a bestselling author from the UK who lives with a large amount of rescue cats in a medium sized house on a small Greek island. While battling an inordinate compulsion to make things up and write them down for other peoples’ entertainment, he nevertheless excels at being nuisance . . . just ask his wife.
Among other things, Andrew has the privilege of being a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, the British Science Fiction Association, and the British Fantasy Society. In his spare time, he also writes review articles for Amazing Stories and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Social Media Links:
Website/blog: https://andrewpweston.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @WestonAndrew
TikTok: @andrewpweston666