City of the Gods: Forgotten

City of the Gods: Forgotten

Where did the Gods go after they left Earth?

Some jobs feel like they last for eternity, but in D’Molay’s case they actually do.

Granted longevity and trapped in a timeless city governed by all the old gods of Earth, D’Molay makes a fateful choice to assist a hapless girl. He slowly discovers she is far more than she even knows and starts to suspect she has some kind of connection to a huge beast ravaging the Olympian realm.

D’Molay is torn between his duty to the eternal world and the leading of his heart. His compulsion to protect her pits the wits of a man against the guile of the gods, rekindling a faith he had long ago forgotten.

In theory any of the gods of old could appear in the City of the gods. In this novel some of the deities that appear include Zeus, Eros, Zepherus, Ares, Hermes & Glaucus. Egyptian gods Set & Sekumet. Babylonian gods include Lamasthu & Namtar. And you also meet various Chinese, Norse, Indian, Mayan and African gods as the story unfolds. They are portrayed very much as they appeared in classical mythology, but given each of them their own personalities and motivations.

The book has over 100 illustrations and is 428 pages, including works by Dore, Ingres, Leighton and many other classic painters from the 1600's to the late 1800's. Many of the pieces have been digitally altered to fit the story.

There is also a map of the Godly Realms that is actually part of the story as the main character uses it to plot their course throughout their journey, allowing the reader to follow along. Get your copy today and visit the wonderous City of the Gods...

The Gods have forsaken us.
One by one, they all left our world.
Their temples remain, but no answers do they give.
No justice do they mete out or favors do they grant.
Chaos and death have come since they left.
We who pledged ourselves to them face
the dangers of the world alone.

Perhaps they grew bored with humans and our ways,
or great wars in the afterworlds pulled them away.
There may be as many reasons they left our mortal realm
as there are Gods. Even a few of their high priests,
most favored servants and rulers have vanished.

One day perhaps, our children will learn where
the gods have gone and why they left us...

City of the Gods: Forgotten Prolog

D'Molay sat by his hearth, staring into the flames. They fascinated him, beckoning him to join once again in their dance. He closed his eyes and managed to look away for a moment, trying to think of something else. Distraction was provided by the goblet of rum sitting on the table. The last swig it held burned its way down his throat, sharp and sweet. He carelessly dropped the drained goblet to the floor.

"Well, that's the last of you," he said to the empty room. D'Molay's voice was low and gravelly. He hadn't said a word for hours, and he hadn't drunk this much in a long time. When he kicked the cup away, it mockingly bounced against the fireplace wall and drew his attention to the fire once again.

That desire to stare into flames always overwhelmed him when he was near a fire. There were many flames in the City: funeral pyres for high priests and treasured slaves; eternal flames devoted to the gods; candles and torches to light temples and dungeons; and hearths that kept mortal folk warm on cold nights. Fortunately for D'Molay, he was usually in a rush and time allowed only a glance at their seductive glow as he passed them by. On this day, however, the fire hungered, demanding to be fed.

Opening a small wooden box on the table, he took out a silvery object. He knew its every edge and groove without looking. Long ago, it had been so important. D'Molay squeezed it one last time before tossing it into the flames. The metal object sat atop the crackling logs, blackening as the heat did its work. D'Molay stared, entranced. He had to see how his once treasured item would stand up to the heat, needed to absorb every detail of what the flames would do.

After a moment, the scorched object started to lose its shape, relaxing on the top of its burning wooden bed. A thread of bright silver liquid broke free, spilling over the logs and disappearing into the glowing red coals. Finally, the entire mass of gleaming metal flowed down the log and pooled at the bottom of the hearth's black andirons. The silvery liquid formed a misshapen puddle on the soot-covered stone of the inner hearth. A few stray drops added themselves to the slowly congealing glob as it took on a grayish hue.

D'Molay wiped his face with the back of his sleeve as he beheld the fate of the last vestige of a life that had no meaning for him here. The fire had given him a parting gift of knowledge, teaching him something he hadn't known about his treasure. The token had pooled to base pewter, not silver, just as his life had somehow dissolved from glory to ignominy.

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