Marcher Lord Select
Phase 2: Main Contest
Thank you for participating in Phase 2 of Marcher Lord Select.
In this document, each entry will contain the information from Phase 1 (title, genre, wordcount, premise, blurb, and synopsis), but will also contain the first 500 words of the book.
So you get the full bookstore experience here. You see title and length and genre. You pick it up and read the back cover copy. You even get a synopsis of the story. And you can flip to the first couple of pages and see if the book grabs you.
In some cases, the author chose to end the excerpt at or before 500 words so as to provide a nice end point. In other cases, I have simply chopped the excerpt off at word 500, even if it’s in the middle of a sentence. For the purposes of this contest, and to keep it fair, every word was counted toward the 500 max, including things like “Chapter 1” or time and date stamps.
The entries are arranged alphabetically by title.
Altar
· Title: Altar
· Genre: Supernatural Thriller
· Wordcount: 95,000
Premise: Will Zack Tucker risk eternal damnation to rescue the one he loves from Hell’s Altar?
Blurb
Zack Tucker was too late. Too late to prevent the disappearance of his mother, too late to stop the suicide of his classmate and too late to thwart the abduction of his girlfriend. Has time run out for him to halt mankind’s destruction by Echthros, the Ruler of Darkness? Zack must defeat his nemesis, Milton Drago, the school bully turned mutant, rescue Jamie Watkins, and impede Echthros from over-running the earth. Can he accomplish this with only the help of his best friend, John and their co-workers when they discover the gates of hell in the building’s basement?
Synopsis
Zack Tucker, an introverted high school senior was content to arrive at graduation with no hitches or conflicts. Milton Drago on the other hand was set on raising as much hell as possible during his academic finale. When Zack stumbles across Milton in the commission of a late-night crime, he finds himself outnumbered by Milton and the other members of “The Triune”. As Zack tries to escape, Milton and his cohorts are bent on leaving their permanent mark when they are intercepted by a stranger from the shadows. After they flee, Zack tries to thank the man but he disappears as quickly as he appeared.
John Welte, Zack’s best friend, confidante and wise-cracking sidekick is never without a quip but always without a girlfriend. John is content with skating his way to graduation on the backs of straight A’s.
Jamie Watkins, a girl new to town crosses paths with Zack at the movies where they strike up a friendship that later blossoms into romance.
When one of the Triune unexpectedly commits suicide, the high school is rocked by emotion and questions as Milton blames Zack and launches an attack which includes an attempted murder. Once again, the stranger steps in.
Zack discovers that the intervening stranger is an eccentric entrepreneur, Mick Beer, who along with his brother, Nate, offers Zack and John a position at their company, Gideon Manufacturing, producing nostalgic weapons. Zack and John soon realize that Gideon is a façade for a clan of ancient warriors preventing anyone from entering the concealed entrance to the gates of Hell under the building’s foundation.
When Milton is seduced and succumbed by Angie, an agent of the Netherworld, he begins to mutate into a powerful instrument of darkness, bent on long-overdue revenge against Zack. This culminates in Milton and Angie abducting Jamie and dragging her into the bowels of the earth in an attempt to lure Zack into pursuit and ultimately, destruction.
Zack, John and the forces of Gideon are deployed to rescue Jamie and engage Milton who has now joined the clan of Echthros, Ruler of the Netherworld.
Zack finds himself facing the greatest challenge of his young life, to thwart the evil that is threatening to overrun mankind and retrieve his true love from the Altar of Hell. Kill or be killed, that will become his only option.
Excerpt
Prologue
If something walks upright does that mean it was once human?
“You like the new edge?” Nathaniel Abbeer asked.
“On my blade?” Michael asked.
“Yeah,” Nathaniel whirled and lopped off a creature’s arm. The beast shrieked and flailed against Nathaniel’s chest catching its claws in his body armor. Nathaniel punched its snout sending it reeling to the ground.
Michael Abbeer swung his sword and the head rolled into the dirt kicking up bloody jets after it. “I do,” he said. “Back to back.”
Nathaniel stepped behind Michael as several other creatures surrounded them in a circular dance, snarling and snapping at the two men.
“The new alloy seems to be quite strong,” Michael thrust through the midsection of one of the beasts; rabid dog-like mutants prancing on hind legs and swinging their make-shift weapons.
“It’s the tempering that brings out its strength,” Nathaniel stepped forward wielding two swords like a windmill and carved another creature into hairy chunks. He returned to his position behind Michael.
Nathaniel glanced to a family a few yards away, sheltered by an outcropping of stalagmites. “It’s going to be fine.” A father, mother, baby in arms and a small boy and girl were huddled together in terror. “We’re going to get you out of here safely.”
Michael and Nathaniel continued their death dance leaving the mutants in piles of bloody fur.
“Did you oil the blades?” Michael asked.
“Dipped like always,” Nathaniel thrust into the eye socket of a creature that had not completed the mutation, more human than beast. “Do you think I’d forget the oil when we were coming here to fight?”
“No, just checking, little brother.” Michael sliced through a midsection exposing the entrails as the creature hit his knees and fell face first into the dirt. “No wonder the cuts are so clean.”
“Secret’s in the oil,” Nathaniel swung again and another head hit the cave floor. “I do what I can.”
“What do you say we end this thing and get them out of here?” Michael motioned toward the family. “We’ll leave Mel to clean up the rest of their forces.”
“I’m all about that.”
Michael and Nathaniel Abbeer unleashed a torrent of slices and blows that sent the remaining creatures of the Netherworld lying in pieces all over the ground.
“These new blades will do fine,” Michael said.
“I thought you’d like ‘em,” Nathaniel looked at the carnage around them.
“Calver!” Michael called.
A wiry man with a handle-bar mustache ran up to them. “Yes, boss.”
“Take these people to the surface.”
“Will do.” Calver gathered the family and with several other soldiers he ushered the people away.
“Fall back!” Michael called to his men. “Head for the gates! We’re done here!”
He and Nathaniel made their way along the huge cavern sprinkled with bands of warriors still engaging the creatures.
“Mel,” Michael said as they passed a short bald man with an inordinate amount of nose hair. “You and your men take care of the rest of…
Beloved Stranger
· Title: Beloved Stranger
· Genre: Romantic Fantasy
· Wordcount: 70,000
Premise: An ugly creature called “It” discovers she belongs to a beautiful race of beings who long to bring her home.
Blurb
What if those who raised you called you a vile and despicable abomination—the Unwanted One? What if you discovered that, in truth, you belonged to a beautiful race of beings who greatly desired your homecoming? Would you have the courage to step into their mystical world, to take your place among these wondrous creatures, and to claim your rights and your responsibilities as one of them? Journey with the tragic one called It, who discovers her true nature and courageously enters a life beyond all her greatest expectations.
Synopsis
From the distant, barren Graylands, a young creature and her ailing mother travel to the Viridian Forests, the land of fair beings called Elves. At the foot of the verdant, forested mountains, the mother rests and sends forth the child to find help. But the child, abused by the villagers in her homeland, thinks herself an abomination and fears the Elves will drive her away.
Elandré, captain of the sentinel Elves, watches two travelers approach his mountains. Although few strangers are permitted on their slopes, Elandré and his comrades realize one of these females is a lovely young Elf, the other a grotesque but harmless Gorm. The Elves welcome them and send the sick one for healing in their city deep within the mountains.
Elandré and the young she-Elf follow on foot. On the journey he becomes enchanted by her beauty and innocence. Seeing she does not realize she is an Elf, Elandré gently guides her to a spring where she can see her own reflection.
The she-Elf is stunned to discover she is an Elf, one of the Golden Beings. She still fears making a mistake and being driven away. When Elandré helps her wash her soiled gown and combs her hair, she appreciates his kindness. But not knowing what love is, she is confused by the funny fluttering in her heart when she’s around him.
They enter the city of Malachitia, meet the king and queen of the city. . .and the maiden’s true father. She does not know what a father is. The king sends Elandré back to his post on the border, and he is heartbroken, for he had planned to pledge his love to the maiden. But in their wisdom, the elders know the young Elf must learn many things before love enters her life.
Given a name by her father, Méla meets her relatives and begins to learn about the life of Elves: her father and true mother were ambassadors to a distant land. As they traveled, they were accosted by enemies. Her father was left for dead, and he thought her mother died, too. Now, with Méla’s arrival in her mother’s silver gown and slippers, they realize she lived long enough to bear the child. All the Elves rejoice at the coming of this once-lost child to their city.
Having been a much-abused slave all her life, Méla thinks she must earn her keep, so she looks for menial tasks to do. But her true gift is discovered: a talent for weaving strong, exquisite cloth. Méla also attends a wedding and begins to understand love.
Elandré and the other sentinels face the evil Mortocs, who have come to find Méla, their former slave. When Elandré learns that their vile-looking leader, Shugg, had planned to marry her, he is sickened. The Elves order the Mortocs to leave, but the Mortocs merely retreat to plan their attack. Elandré sends word to the city that help is needed, and every Elf warrior prepares for battle.
The old foster mother explains to Méla that they left the land of the Gorms because Shugg had demanded Méla as his bride. Méla realizes the Mortocs have come for her, so she joins the other Elves as they hasten down the mountain. Soon all of the Elves face the Mortocs at the edge of the forest.
The Elf king of Malachitia refuses to give Méla to the Mortocs. She tries to surrender herself to save the Elves, but the king orders her back to the hiding-trees. He then suggests a battle of champions. Shugg is chosen, and Méla’s father and Elandré argue over who will defend her. The king grants Elandré the privilege because he is a stronger warrior and more is at stake than one beautiful young she-Elf.
Excerpt
Chapter One: Mysterious Stranger
The creature trudged along the rocky ground, stopping often to adjust the burden on its back or to shift from one hand to the other the second bundle it carried. Despite its strength and endurance, it had never been challenged by anything as it had been by this long journey of more than three moons. Conditions had grown worse in the past half-moon, since the creature’s mother had broken her leg. Now the child must carry the suffering old she-Gorm on its back. Love lightened the load at first, but the painful reality of the mother’s weight soon required even greater love to keep the creature from surrendering to despair.
They had come on a quest, it and its mother, though only Mother knew what they were seeking. Persecution had grown so fierce in their village that they were forced to flee, for all the other Gorms blamed the creature for their failed crops and illnesses. They called it a wicked presence, pointing out that, while every other family in the village had suffered loss, the creature never became ill and had lived so long, it must be an evil spirit, extending its evil spells to grant its mother unnaturally long life, too.
Perhaps what they said was true, but if so, the creature could not understand how. It did not know why it had lived so long, and it never felt anger or evil toward anyone or anything. Mother had always been kind and taught the creature to be kind, as well.
Perhaps the villagers thought as they did because none of them had been alive when it had been born. Those of its mother’s long-dead generation had disliked it, too, but they only felt the young creature to be an aberration, not evil.
It had always tried to demonstrate gratitude to them for even permitting it to live, for everyone knew that other Gorm tribes left ill-formed infants out for the wolves to devour. But village lore said this creature’s mother had risen from her birthing bed to fight for its life, and none had possessed the courage to force the issue. She could keep the child. But so great was their disgust at its appearance, they forbid its mother to name it, referring to it only as the Unwanted One.
To spare the villagers from its ugliness, the creature always wore a hooded cape when it left its hut. And to repay their kindness in letting it remain in the village, it had, from its earliest years, worked very hard, performing jobs no one else would, doing everything possible to help the other villagers. But all for naught. Because the young creature grew strong and tall, taller by half than any Gorm had ever grown, a legend arose that its mother had produced a monster child from a monster mate, thereby cursing the entire village.